Vacation, All I Ever Wanted
by DragonLady37
Summary: "He's cheating on me," Hermione said as her fingers gripped the fabric of his tee shirt. "Ron. Ron's cheating on me." Saying it out loud was strange. The words were true, she knew, but they felt like lies. Like some awful story. / Dramione, EWE, M for language and Content in Epilogue
1. 1: The Discovery

**This fic is rated M for language and _possible _adult activities (most likely, not until the epilogue, if there is one). **

**I've yet to set a Dramione fic in the States, so here's hoping it goes alright! As always, I am beta-less, therefore, all mistakes are my own. In addition, JK Rowling is my queen. I'm not claiming any of her characters as my own, but I am borrowing them for a while. Hope you enjoy this multi-chaptered fic! If you do, leave me a review!**

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It was late on a Thursday night and Hermione was folding laundry. Ron was out with Harry, and her other friends - who had become numerous over the last couple of years - were out and about. As she folded a particularly old pair of Gryffindor sweats, her phone buzzed in her pocket, causing her heart rate to spike. She rarely used her phone, as she didn't have any Muggle friends, but whenever it buzzed, she made sure to answer.

After the war, things in the wizarding world were rebuilt fairly quickly, but the children who'd fought in it - on both sides - were slower to recover. So, Hermione, always on the lookout for some group of people to fight for, started a support group. War Impaired Child Soldiers - or WICS. She'd expected it to only be a few people, and it was at first, but over the last four years, since the war, it had grown. Now, on any given week, there were at least 10 people who showed up - mostly her closest friends - and sometimes as many as 20!

Everyone in the group having a cell phone was something Harry thought of. Owls were well and good, as were floos and patronuses, but sometimes you just needed instant access. So, all members of WICS got a cell phone, and they knew _only_ to use them if they needed support from a fellow support member.

So, when Hermione's phone buzzed, she assumed it was one of the other members needing support after being triggered by something. It happened less often now than it had, but it wasn't so uncommon that it shocked her in any way. She took a deep, calming breath as she fished it from her pocket.

She looked at the screen and was met with a photo of a smirking Pansy Parkinson. That was a little unexpected, but it wasn't the first time she'd called. Pansy joining their group had been shocking when it first happened, but over the last few years, she'd become someone Hermione thought of as a really good friend.

"Hello? Pansy, is everything all right?" Hermione asked as she stood, leaving her unfolded clothes in the hamper.

"Hermione. Can I come over?" Pansy's voice was quiet, but she didn't sound upset. If anything, she sounded nervous.

"Of course," Hermione said, brows wrinkled. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, just - " the phone was muffled for a moment, but Hermione thought she heard her tell someone to shut up. "I'm fine. I just need to come over. Can I apparate there?"

"Yeah, sure." Hermione felt a weird twinge in her stomach. She stepped back from the middle of the floor to give Pansy plenty of room to pop in. The line went dead and a moment later, after a loud crack, Pansy stood in the middle of the living room, a scowl on her pale, pretty face.

Hermione crossed the distance toward her and took her hand, pulling her toward the couch. She scooted the hamper over with her foot and took both of Pansy's hands, but the dark haired girl still scowled at her, then looked away.

"What's happened, Pansy?" Hermione asked, squeezing her fingers.

Pansy gritted her teeth, then met Hermione's eyes again. The hard look she shared with the world softened as she flipped her hands so that she was holding Hermione's, rather than the other way around. She squeezed Hermione's fingers and took a deep breath.

"If something bad were happening to me, behind my back, would you tell me?" she asked, her normally loud voice soft.

"What?" Hermione asked, her heart inexplicably racing.

Pansy sighed, and adjusted her grip on Hermione's hands. "If there was something going on, something that would _hurt_ me, and you knew, but I didn't, would telling me be the right thing to do? Even though it would hurt me? And even though you would hate to be the one to have to tell me?" Pansy's dark green eyes bored into Hermione's in a way that once would have been intimidating.

"Yes," Hermione breathed. "Pansy, you're frightening me. What's going on?"

Pansy closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, her dark green orbs were misty. "Hermione, where's Ron tonight?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"He's with Harry - "

"He's not," Pansy cut in, scooting closer. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I don't _want_ to tell you this. But - " Pansy's hands were shaking. "I was out on a date tonight. Anthony Goldstein, from our year at Hogwarts, took me out for drinks and dancing. And I saw - " shockingly, a single tear rolled down Pansy's cheek. "I saw Ron out with another girl."

"Saw him with - but he's with Harry tonight and - what you do mean, saw him with a girl?" Even to her own ears, Hermione's voice sounded weak and confused - two states of being she did not enjoying being in.

"At the bar, I saw him with his arm around a girl I didn't recognize. They were drinking, and laughing, and - " she closed her eyes even as she squeezed Hermione's fingers. "He kissed her," she whispered.

"He kissed her," Hermione repeated, the room spinning as black edges encroached on her vision. "Ron kissed a girl. At a bar. Where you were on a date with Anthony."

"Hermione, look at me."

Hermione's head jerked back toward Pansy. When had she looked away?

"I didn't want to tell you, but if it were me, I would have wanted to know." Another tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Hermione stared at her for a long moment, and like a rubber band being snapped, the black edges of her vision cleared and she was back. Her heart was racing. Pansy's hands in hers were hot and felt sticky, but she didn't pull away.

"What do you need?" Pansy asked, seeing the change in her friend's eyes. "What can I do? Tell me what to do."

"Will you - " Hermione stood, pulling her phone from her pocket with shaking hands. "Will you go get Harry? Bring him here? I'm going to ask Ron over to talk. Confront him, and - " she looked at Pansy with wide eyes. "I can't do it alone."

Pansy nodded, her chin length black hair wobbling with the motion. "I'll get him now," she said, a determined look in her eyes.

"But, wait," Hermione put her hand on Pansy's arm, tears starting to slip silently down her cheeks.. "Your date. With Anthony. I'm so sorry. You don't have to - "

"Not another word, Granger," she said, smirking in a way that reminded Hermione of Draco. "If Goldstein is so enamored with me, he'll ask me out again. Family is more important." Family. Since the start of the support group, that's what they'd become, but hearing Pansy say it, of all people, shattered something inside Hermione.

She threw herself at Pansy, wrapping her in a fierce hug. Pansy, not one for large displays of affection, hugged her back with equal fervor. This alone was enough to squash any small amount of doubt Hermione may have had about what Pansy was saying. Ron was cheating on her. Pansy had come to tell her, because she deserved to know. The world had been turned completely on its head.

"I'll be back with Harry as soon as I can get him." And with a crack, she was gone.

Hermione, in the newly quiet room, took a shaky breath.

_Ron was cheating on her._ Ron, the boy she'd loved since she was thirteen, was cheating on her. The boy she lived with, the boy she'd given all of herself to, the boy she'd taken care of, even in the worst of his substance abuse after the war, was cheating on her. Out in public. At this very moment.

Hermione lifted her phone, unlocking it with her thumb, and went to her Favorites. Ron was first on the list, and with fingers that trembled violently she clicked his name, which was surrounded by red hearts, and brought the phone to her ear. It rang three times before he answered, laughter loud on the other end.

"Hello?" His voice was slurred. He'd been drinking, at the very least. She thought she heard a woman laugh and her free hand balled into a fist.

"Ron. Where are you?"

"What? Oh, er, at the bar. With 'Arry." The phone shifted against fabric as he moved. "I'll be home in a while." More laughter. More muffled words.

"I need you to come home now." She felt tears well in her eyes as she squeezed her fist so hard her nails cut into her palm.

Ron sighed, irritated. "I'm out with friends, 'Mione." His voice was slurred more than usual. She squeezed her eyes shut as she realized he was using. It had been weeks since she knew for sure he'd taken any potions, and the knowledge that he was out using them again made all of this so much worse. "I'll be home later."

"Ron," she said quietly as a single tear dripped down her cheek, her eyes tightly shut. There was a crack of apparation - Pansy and Harry - but she kept her eyes closed tight. "Is there something - something you need to tell me?" She hated how weak her voice sounded.

On the other end of the line, there was a long pause. He sighed loudly into the phone and laughed without humor, a cold sound that she'd only ever heard when she lectured him on potion usage after finding a secret stash. "How'd you find out?" he asked, his voice low. "That bitch Parkinson tattle on me?"

"So it's true?" she asked as her hands started to shake. "You're with someone else?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but she knew he heard.

"Bloody hell. I can't do this right now. I'll be home later, and we can talk then."

He hung up without another word and Hermione's phone dropped from her hand to the ground. She opened her eyes, vision blurred by tears, and stared at the ground in front of her. It felt like her bones might vibrate from her body she was trembling so much.

"Hermione?" Two large, warm hands gripped her shoulders. She spun and fell into the chest of the person behind her. Harry had brought Draco, she would recognize his cologne anywhere. He enveloped her in a hug, his chest firm, his arms tight - but not too tight. She didn't sob, she was too in shock, but tears poured from her eyes like a faucet turned on too high as she clung to his shirt, letting his arms cage her in and hold her together as her world crumbled all around her.

"I'm going to kill him," Harry gritted out from somewhere behind Draco. "I'm going to fucking kill him."

"I can take you to him," Pansy said, her voice cold. "Draco, do you have her?"

"I have her," he said, his deep voice vibrating in his chest where she was pressed, trying to control her breathing and failing.

There were two cracks, and the room grew quiet.

"Granger," he said, his voice quiet now. Soft. "Let's sit. OK?" He shifted so that his arm was around her shoulders and guided her to the couch, her phone forgotten somewhere on the floor. "Come on."

He sat and pulled her with him, pulling her into his chest, his arm around her shoulder. Tears still flowed from her eyes, but she felt strangely calm as she leaned against him, her cheek flush against his chest. She took deep breaths and let the smell of his cologne calm her.

"He's cheating on me," Hermione said as her fingers gripped the fabric of his tee shirt. "Ron. Ron's _cheating_ on me." Saying it out loud was strange. The words were true, she knew, but they felt like lies. Like some awful story.

"What did he say?" Draco asked gruffly, his hand a steady weight on her shoulder. He was surprisingly calm. He was usually the first to fly off the handle.

"He said - " fresh tears filled her eyes. She turned to him, and he met her eyes with such softness she felt a small sob well up. "He said, _how'd you find out?_" She sobbed once. "He _laughed_ at me."

Draco's hand on her shoulder tightened and his soft expression grew hard.

"What am I supposed to do?" she croaked out as her face crumpled.

Draco's anger vanished as he turned and pulled her back into his chest, letting her cry and shake against him. His hands on her back were stationary, and he didn't say anything, but his hug was like a sponge for sadness, and after a few moments she calmed a little.

She'd just pulled away, still leaning into one of his shoulders, when Harry and Pansy apparated back into the room. One look at Hermione's tear-stained face and Draco's frown had Harry balling his fists.

"I'm going to hit him again," he growled, but Pansy grabbed his arm and shook her head, her silky straight hair swinging around her face.

"You hit him?" Hermione squeaked out. She felt Draco's hand spasm on her shoulder as if wanting to hold her closely again.

Harry faced her, a sheepish look on his face. Pansy still gripping his arm, and nodded. In the moment, Hermione was struck by how similar Pansy and Harry looked - both with raven black hair and bold, green eyes. They looked nice together.

There was a beat of silence. Draco's fingers tightened on her arm. And then, she laughed. It was a single bark of laughter, and she immediately covered her mouth with both hands, but it was enough.

"In the face?" she asked through a teary, manic smile. When he nodded she covered her mouth fully and laughed into her hands.

Harry looked confused, but Draco and Pansy both relaxed. Draco's fingers on her arm loosened, but he didn't pull his arm away. She was glad he didn't. She was laughing, but she was also on a precipice and he was the only thing currently anchoring her where she was.

"Well done, Potter," Draco said with a nod.

"I hope it's alright, but I told little _Ronniekins_ he couldn't stay here tonight," Pansy said, hands on her hips. "He seemed angry 'til Potter slugged him. Then he just seemed out of it." Hermione's laughter had calmed, and her smile had fallen, and she nodded. "But I'm going to stay with you, OK? Make sure he doesn't try to sneak in."

Hermione nodded, feeling a fresh wave of sadness. As if sensing it, Draco's fingers twitched against her shoulder. "You should come with us to the States," he said as he sat up. "You weren't going to come, because of him, right?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "Now you don't have to worry about that. Come on, everyone else is going."

"I can't." Hermione looked up at him with a wince. "You all bought your tickets _weeks_ ago, I'm sure they're sold out, and I haven't the money, regardless. I didn't save for it once I realized he wasn't interested in going."

"We can get you an international portkey," Pansy offered, brightening. Most of the members of WICS were going on a beach vacation to the States - traveling the Muggle way to make it more of an adventure for those of them who'd been raising solely in the wizarding world - and they'd all been disappointed that Hermione, and to a lesser extent, Ron, weren't going with them.

"Definitely _not_," Hermione said, just the thought of such a long, twisting journey making her feel ill. Draco's expression darkened and she patted his knee in consolation.

"I'll get you a ticket," he said, suddenly standing. Hermione felt the absence of his touch and almost reached for him to come back, but that was selfish. Barely an hour since her relationship had ended and she was already clinging to the first male body she could get her hands on for comfort. She made a mental promise not to rely too much on Draco, or Harry, in the coming months.

"You, Draco Malfoy, are going to go to a _Muggle_ airport and buy a _Muggle_ ticket for a _Muggle_ plane ride that I'm _sure _is sold out already, which means you'll have to negotiate, using _Muggle money, with a Muggle airport employee?_" The playful smile on Hermione's tearstained face took any possible sting out of her words.

Draco smirked at Harry, then turned back to Hermione, standing up tall, putting on his most haughty expression. "In case you've forgotten, I'm Draco Malfoy." He sniffed. "I do whatever I please and I _always_ get what I want." He smirked at her then and she smiled. "Come on Potter, I'll need you to drive me. Can't be apparating into a Muggle airplane port.

"Airport," Harry corrected him with a roll of his eyes.

"Same thing," he said. He turned back to Hermione and pointed at her. "Listen Granger, you're coming with us on this blasted trip one way or another. Understood?"

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she looked up at him - the man who had once been an enemy, who was now one of her closest friends. "Understood," she said with a nod.

"Call if you need either of us," Harry said, pulling her from the couch to hug her.

"Did you really punch Ron?" she asked quietly into his ear.

He squeezed her a little tighter. "I most definitely did. Right in the face. Even the time you socked Malfoy would pale in comparison."

She laughed, even as fresh tears welled in her eyes.

Harry knew her better than anyone - better than Ron, by a long shot, and better than her new friends - and he knew that even in her anger, she was worried about her wayward ex. "When we get back, we'll get him some help. You and me. Maybe you dumping him will be the kick in the pants he needs to get his life together."

She nodded against his neck before she let go. To her surprise, Draco pulled her in for a hug next. It wasn't that he never touched her - he was a surprisingly tactile person with those he cared for - it was just that he was being _so _nice. He was one of her friends, probably one of her best friends, but that didn't mean his personality had totally changed over the last few years. He was still an insufferable prat most days. "Pack your bags, Granger," he said into the quick embrace, causing her to laugh.

"Thank you," she said into his chest - he was considerably taller than Harry. "For being with me tonight." He just squeezed her once more and let go.

"Come along, Potter. Time for you to play driver." He smirked at the raven haired boy. "I knew it would happen one day!"

"Bloody hell," Harry said with an eye roll before they both apparated away, presumably to go get Harry's car and drive to the airport.

"I'll never get used to that," Pansy said as Hermione flopped down on the couch next to her.

"The sight of them together?" Hermione asked as the reality of her night settled in - a strange mix of devastation and comfort.

"Yes. It's eery." Pansy shivered.

"Some might say the same about you and me," Hermione said, bumping her shoulder against Pansy's, making her laugh.

"Yes, but girls are notoriously more _mature_ than boys are," she said shrugging. "Now, would you like to me describe to you what it was like when Harry socked that ginger git right in the face?" She waggled her eyebrows, and even with a stab of pain at the reminder of Ron, she laughed. "Or should we get you packed? We leave tomorrow afternoon you know."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let's stick with the face punching story. There's no way they'll get the ticket," she said, sitting up and pulling her neglected laundry hamper close. How had so much changed in the span of an hour, but also, so little?

"Oh, he'll get the ticket," Pansy said, pulling unfolded clothes from the hamper and helping. "When that man wants something, he gets it."

Hermione felt something stir in her belly, but pushed it down. "He's a good friend," she said with a nod, glad that her face was already red from crying so Pansy wouldn't see the slight blush that crept there.

Pansy looked at her skeptically for a moment, but let it pass without comment. Instead, she folded clothes, setting aside clothes that would be beach appropriate, and recounted beat for beat how Harry had confronted Ron before punching him in the face.

As they folded clothes, she couldn't seem to help the silent tears that slipped down her cheeks as they worked, even as she laughed at Pansy's stories. She wasn't sure how she felt, really. She felt sad, devastated even, but also a bit relieved. Whatever it was, it hurt and it was confusing. When they were finished, Hermione stood.

"Would you like some popcorn? I think I'll have some. And maybe some ice cream," she said as she wiped her eyes. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her face felt tight, but she felt OK. At least right in this moment.

"Sounds perfect," Pansy said, lifting the stack of folded clothes and carrying them to her room, leaving the non-beach appropriate clothes folded in the basket. "I'm just going to go finish packing your bag for our trip."

Hermione rolled her eyes and called from the kitchen. "They won't get the ticket!" she said with a laugh. "I'll just have to unpack it when we get the news."

"Then we'll unpack it!" Pansy called back, and Hermione shook her head. Much like Draco, Pansy generally got what she wanted.

After the popcorn was popped, and Hermione had two overly full bowls of peanut butter ice cream drenched in chocolate sauce, she returned to the living room where Pansy once again sat, a cat-like grin on her face. Hermione handed her her ice cream and looked at her cautiously. "What is it?" Hermione asked, squinting at her. She loved Pansy, but she still didn't always understand her.

In response, Pansy held Hermione's phone toward her. Hermione had forgotten it on the floor, kicking herself for possibly leaving one of her friends hanging when they needed her, just because she was too wrapped up in her own problems.

"You have a message," she said with a smirk.

Hermione took her phone, unlocked it with her thumb, and a huge grin spread across her face. Draco had sent her a text - a rare occurrence in and of itself. It was a selfie of Draco and Harry, both cheesing, holding a new plane ticket in front of their faces. The message itself just said, _I get what I want, Granger. See you tomorrow. _Followed by the smiley face emoji with sunglasses. Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes. She should have never introduced a Slytherin to emojis.

"I suppose I won't need to unpack after all," she said, smiling as she took a big bite of her peanut butter chocolate sundae.

Pansy grinned back as she kicked her shoes off and curled her legs under her, then took a more reasonably-sized bite of her own ice cream. "Told you he'd get the ticket," she said, saluting Hermione with the spoon. "As he so eloquently said earlier, he's Draco-bloody-Malfoy, he always gets what he wants." She winked at Hermione - a gesture that gave Hermione butterflies, though she wasn't why - and laughed.

Together, Hermione and Pansy ate their ice cream, followed by their popcorn - the ultimate comfort foods. To keep Hermione distracted, Pansy entertained Hermione with stories of her past dating conquests, as well as all the times she'd watched her friends - namely Theo, Blaise, and Draco - crash and burn with other women. The stories had Hermione rolling with laughter.

By the time it was time to sleep, Hermione was still sad, but also exhausted in a good way. The whole evening had been a roller coaster of emotions, and Hermione had a feeling that would be her new normal for a while. Pansy had only been her friend for a couple of years, but she seemed to understand Hermione and what she needed. Without having to ask, Pansy borrowed some cotton pajama pants from Hermione's closet and crawled into the spot where Ron would normally sleep. In the dark, fresh tears seeped from her eyes onto the light purple pillow case. Pansy whispered to her, distracting her with plans for the States, until Hermione drifted off into a fitful sleep.


	2. 2: The Sunrise

**I'm working without a beta, so please excuse any mistakes! I try to go back in and fix them when I see them, and each chapter gets two or three read throughs before they're posted, but mistakes still creep past. Thanks for understanding!**

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"I still don't know how you got this ticket," Hermione said for the fifteenth time as she stood on her tiptoes to store her carry-on - a bag with at least ten novels in it - in the overhead compartment.

Gently, he moved her aside and put the bag in, careful not to shove it and bend any books, before placing his own bag - a sleek, black messenger-style bag - above it. The other members of their group had paired off to find their seats. Harry with Pansy, Luna with Blaise, Theo with Neville, and Ginny with Daphne.

"Or how you managed to get a seat next to one of the tickets you already had," she said as she pushed hair from her face.

"You constantly underestimate me, Granger," he said with a smirk, but no further explanation. "Would you like to sit beside the window?" His expression was so childlike in that moment as he glanced toward the window, she nearly laughed.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "If you think I'm afraid of being up on a broom, just wait until this plane reaches its highest altitude."

"Over 10,000 meters," he said, scooting into the row and sitting beside the window. Hermione laughed as she sat, buckling her belt as the flight attendants started walking the aisles. He'd done some research before this flight. Maybe he was a little nervous, too.

"Doing alright there, Hermione?" Theo asked, popping his head over the seat behind them, making Hermione crane her neck to see him. His light brown hair was wild across his face, his sunglasses perched high on his head, and his light blue eyes - so much like Ron's - were bright with mischief.

"Just fine, Theo," she said, grinning as she looked up at him.

"Sorry you got stuck sitting with Malfoy," he said, leaning his elbow on top of Draco's head, only to have it roughly shoved off. "If you want to change seats after we're in the air, just give the word."

"Bugger off," Draco said, scowling.

Hermione laughed and smirked at Theo. "I think, given how _loud _you are on a regular day, away from the small confines of this cabin, I'll just stay right here."

Theo shrugged and pulled his sunglasses from atop his head to rest them on his nose. "Your loss, princess." He blew her a kiss, making her laugh, before he bounded back through the aisle, bowing to a flight attendant on his way back to Neville.

"You want to sit with me?" Draco smirked, hand over his heart. "I'm honored."

"Don't make me regret it," she said with a laugh.

When the plane started to taxi down the runway, Hermione gripped the armrests so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Hey, it's safe, Granger," Draco said softly, leaning toward her. "You know it's safe."

She nodded and smiled up at him, her eyes wide and bright with panic. The last time she'd been on a plane had been with Ron, and when she'd gotten scared, he'd gotten angry, which only made it worse. "I'm fine. Really. I'm fine!" she said far too brightly.

Draco, in another unusual display of kindness, slipped his hand beneath hers, loosening it from the arm rest, and lacing his fingers with hers. She gripped his fingers tightly.

"It's safe," he repeated with a grin. He squeezed her hand and she felt herself relax a little. As the plan ascended, they were pressed back in her seats, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She peeked at one point, Draco's hand in hers held in an iron grip, and saw him looking out the window, a soft, open smile on his face. Seeing him like that was so calming. She was wrapped up in just watching him until, just past him, she saw the world tilting away. She squeezed her eyes shut again and used her other hand to latch onto his arm, leaning toward him as much as her seatbelt would allow.

She felt him chuckle even as he adjusted his grip on her hand to hold her a little closer and rubbed his thumb over her thumb in a calming way.

When the plane leveled out, and Hermione heard the seatbelt light click off, she relaxed a little and opened her eyes. She still had a death grip on his hand, but he didn't try to pull away. Once the plane was level, she could pretend they were still on the ground.

"So," he said, shifting just a little to relieve some of the pressure on his arm from the arm rest. "Other than seconds away from a heart attack because of this lovely flight, how are you doing?" his voice was quiet and uncharacteristically gentle, and Hermione felt a pit form in her low stomach.

"I'm alright," she said, her head falling forward, causing wild curls to fall in her face. She sighed and pulled her hand from his to gather her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. She didn't see how his face fell, because he schooled his features quickly. "I mean, I'm _not_ alright," she admitted, unbuckling her seatbelt to twist in her seat so she could see him better. "But I will be." She put her hand on his arm, still resting on the arm rest. "Thank you, again, for being there there last night. And for this. I needed this trip," she said.

"That's what friends, do," he said gruffly. It was a sentiment that, over the last three years, Hermione had forced him to accept. When he joined WICS, almost a year after she started it, he was angry and unwilling to accept help from any of them. He was there, he would show up, but he wasn't _really _there - never participating in discussions or group outings - and Hermione had taken it upon herself to pull him aside and to confront him. She smiled at the memory.

"Do you remember the first time I made you go out for ice cream?" she asked, smiling as she pulled her hand from his arm.

"How could I forget?" he asked with a smile, his voice still a bit gruff. "You bought me mint chocolate chip ice cream, because you said it was the sort of ice cream people eat when they're happy, and basically told me that since I'd chosen to come to your group, it meant I _wanted_ friends. So, whether I liked it or not, and despite our rather unpleasant past, you were now my friend, and I had to be happy about it." He chuckled. "I believe you then ordered me to eat my ice cream and to stuff any complaints somewhere unpleasant."

"I never!" she said with a laugh.

"You most definitely did." He unbuckled his seat belt and stretched, his back already popping, preparing for the nearly twelve hour flight ahead of them.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" she asked with a grin. "I suppose Hermione Granger always gets what _she _wants, too."

His eyes popped wide, and he cleared his throat, as if he were uncomfortable. "I'm going to the loo," he said, standing suddenly and slipping past her. "I brought cards, though, in my carry-on. Grab them and we'll play when I get back. Yeah?"

She nodded and he slipped down the aisle, stepping over Theo's foot as he tried unsuccessfully to trip him.

Hermione, on her toes, pulled Draco's bag down from the overhead and pulled out the pack of regular Muggle cards. She supposed a pack of exploding snap would not be a great idea while they were flying 10,000 meters in the air in a Muggle plane. She stood on the tips of her toes again to put it back, and was just about to give up, when he was back. He pressed against her back as he took the bag and re-stored it. She felt her cheeks heat as she stepped aside and let him slip into the seat by the window before joining him.

Draco pushed the arm rest up and pulled the tray table in front of him down before shuffling and dealing out seven cards each. "Gin," he announced and she smiled. Over the course of their WICS meetings, Hermione had taken it upon herself to introduce their whole group to Muggle games as a sort of bonding activity. This was the first card game she'd taught Draco after he joined.

"You're so going to lose," she said with a smirk, and he smirked back.

"Bring it on, Granger."

* * *

Draco and Hermione played cards for a long time, Draco keeping her laughing and her mind off Ron. When he lost, his face screwed up like he smelled something terrible, and when he won, he gloated like you wouldn't believe. Either way, she laughed. He was a good conversationalist, avoiding talking about Ron and instead focusing on more lighthearted topics - like how many days Hermione thought it would take for Harry and Pansy to give in to their obvious sexual tension and go at it like bunnies.

When the drink cart came around, Hermione ordered them both whiskeys, promising he would like it. As if they'd signed up for a rotation, the others in their party came up from time to time to check in on Hermione. Hermione noticed, but didn't say anything. She found it rather nice to be taken care of, for once, instead of taking care of others.

When night fell - they'd left at 4 pm, and would arrive just before 4 am - the plane grew quiet. The flight attendant brought around small pillows and thin blankets. Hermione chanced a glance back and saw Pansy and Harry, leaning toward one another, watching an inflight movie. She smiled. Harry hadn't dated anyone since the few months after the war when he and Ginny had given it a shot. Needless to say, that hadn't worked out.

Turning back around, Hermione tried to get comfortable, leaning against her seat, not able to recline much because of the Muggles behind her. Beside her, Draco had taken advantage of the wall and was leaning against it, using the space just beside the window as a prop for his pillow.

"Want to switch seats?" he asked, watching her struggle.

"What? Oh, no. I'm fine," she said with a smile, which quickly turned to a grimace as she struggled to find a way to lay on the pillow while sitting up.

He rolled his eyes and opened up his arms. "Come on, then. If I get the window - and really, you have to check out this view, Granger - the least I could do is let you prop your curly head on me to rest."

"Such a gentleman," she said, rolling her eyes. He just gently grabbed her and pulled her close. She didn't need a pillow, laying against his chest as she was, so she laid it in his lap. He picked it up and stuffed it beside the one he was already using, and she laughed. "I see how it is now. Invite me to cuddle, pretend to be sweet, all just to steal my pillow."

Beneath her cheek, she felt him chuckle. "Slytherin," he reminded her, and she laughed, adjusting herself so that she was more comfortable against him. She didn't see the way his eyes drifted closed as she pressed against him or see the hand that wasn't around her twitch, as if it wanted to touch her.

As she adjusted herself, her eyes fell to the window. The sun had set and they were above the clouds. As far as she could see were vivid, twinkling stars, not affected by light pollution as they would be on the ground. They were so bright, and there were so many, they took her breath away.

"Wow," she breathed, sitting up a little to see better. She didn't notice the way his breath caught, or the way his eyes stayed on her. And when she settled back down against him, leaning on the side of his chest as if she'd done it a hundred times before, she didn't notice his strained exhale.

"Told you," he said, his voice sounding as arrogant as usual and she chuckled.

"If you get uncomfortable, wake me and I'll move." She yawned. "I didn't sleep well last night, even with Pansy there. I may just pass out."

"Well, that's because Pansy snores like the Hogwarts Express," he said with a chuckle. "Just go to sleep, Granger. I've got you." He said the last part so quietly, she barely heard him. She felt him tug her blanket up high around her as his arm, which was curled protectively around her shoulder, tightened the tiniest bit. She fell asleep, smelling his signature cologne, warm and safe.

* * *

They landed at 3:48 AM at the Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. Draco had waited until they landed to wake Hermione, knowing she wouldn't enjoy the descent. When she woke, she stretched, her shirt riding up the above the edge of her yoga pants. She had sleep lines on her cheek, and there was a tiny wet spot on Draco's shirt where she'd drooled.

He looked at the spot and gave her an appalled look as he pointed it out. She merely shrugged and wiped the corner her mouth with a cheeky grin. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were rumpled, but she was smiling - a huge contrast from the way she'd been when he'd left her apartment two nights before.

"We can't pick up the keys to our condo until 8 AM," Ginny said as they all gathered by baggage claim to get their bags. They weren't allowed to use magic out in the open, but they'd all shrunk their clothes to fit in only a few bags to save space. "What do we do 'til then?" She yawned and leaned her shoulder against Luna's. Ginny had yet to talk to Hermione on this trip, which hurt, but Hermione understood. Her brother was a drug user, they all knew it, and he'd broken Hermione's trust, but as his sister, Hermione knew Ginny needed time to process. They weren't talking about it, but she knew that Ginny knew.

"We should go watch the sun rise. At the beach," Luna said, a dreamy smile on her face. Her pale, curly blonde hair as tangled from sleep, and her shirt was rumpled.

"Perfect," Blaise said, curling his arm around the blonde's waist. They'd been dating for a few months and, to Hermione's surprise and delight, it seemed they were well suited for each other. Though they often earned fake gags and many eye rolls from the others.

Bags in hand, they left the airport, Harry grabbing a quick map of the area on the way out.

Huddling around one another for privacy, Harry laid the map out after Hermione used her wand and said, "Point me." The wand pointed north, the beach was east. Together, they took off, following the map, walking in groups of two down the sidewalk.

Hermione was surprised when Draco fell into step beside her again. She smiled and tucked hair behind her ear as they brought up the rear of the group.

"You know you don't have to babysit me," she said as she adjusted her shoulder bag on her shoulder. It had a feather-light charm, but it was still large and awkward. "Not that I don't appreciate it, and I do enjoy your company, but this is a vacation. I don't want you to feel like you have to be tied to the dead weight in the group."

Draco rolled his eyes and casually draped his arm over her shoulders in a friendly manner. "I'm not babysitting, Granger. I happen to enjoy your company." His arm over her shoulder was warm, but light. "We _have_ been friends for over three years now," he reminded her.

"True," she said, nudging him lightly with her elbow, "but you've never been this interested in spending time with only me before," she said, glancing up at him as they walked. The others were quite a bit ahead, but neither of them moved to speed up. She didn't want to say that she was afraid he hadn't ever tried to spend time with just her because he still, deep down, harbored his old racist feelings. She didn't want to say it, because she knew it wasn't true, but she was feeling vulnerable and _feared _that it might be.

"That's not true." He cleared his throat as if uncomfortable. "If you must know, every time I tried to see you, your idiotic ex would get in the way. He even threatened me once when I showed up at your flat to tell you about a new book I found I thought you'd enjoy. I didn't want to upset the balance our little group had found, so I backed off."

At the mention of Ron, Hermione's face fell, and Draco sighed, tugging her closer.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm an idiot," he said, and she quickly shook her head.

"No, it's not that. He just did a lot of very stupid things, and I was too love sick to see it." She slipped her arm around his waist and hugged him, something she'd done to Harry a thousand times. She didn't see how it made his cheeks grow pink. "I'm glad you're here with me. And if I'd know he threatened you, I would have given him an earful," she said, and he grunted in reply.

"I know you would have," he said after a moment, squeezing her shoulders toward him, similarly to how Ron used to before they ever dated. "I'm sorry I didn't try harder to show you that I wanted to spend time with you," he said, ducking his head. The rest of the group was getting further and further away, but neither sped up, still.

Hermione shrugged, her arm still around his waist. "We'll just make up for it now," she said and a grin. In the dark, she didn't see how he noticeably swallowed when he ducked his head.

* * *

They made it to the beach in less than thirty minutes, walking slowly. The others waited for Hermione and Draco as they leisurely caught up, Pansy shooting Draco a look when Hermione wasn't looking and making him scowl. Leaving their bags near some trees with a notice-me-not charm on them, they made their way down toward the water. Hermione sat, holding out her hand for Draco to join her. He glanced at Pansy, who was smiling at him wickedly, before he scowled and joined Hermione in the sand. She scooted closer, forgetting her promise to stay away from Harry and Draco while she emotionally healed, and wrapped her hands around his upper arm. It was nice to be here with her friend. And it didn't hurt that he smelled like a dream and was handsome to boot.

Pansy sat beside her, and Harry sat beside Pansy, the others spreading out around them. Absently, Hermione noted how they were split evenly, boys and girls, and for some reason that realization made her stomach flutter.

They all sat, listening to the waves crashing on the shore. There was quiet conversation, but Hermione stayed silent. Still tired from her restless night before, her head fell against Draco's shoulder and her eyes drifted shut. It was some time later when he gently nudged her and she blinked her eyes open to see the sun slowly rise above the horizon, painting the ocean the color of grapefruit.

Pansy had her phone out and took a picture of the sunrise, then, after a quick glance around to make sure there were no Muggles, levitated it in front of them for a group photo. "Group pic! Everyone smile," she said, laying her head on Harry's shoulder. The phone's shutter sound clicked once, twice, three times, before floating back to Pansy.

"Beautiful," she heard Draco whisper, and she could do nothing except nod as she watched the water seem to absorb the sun's color as it rose.

She looked at it with a smirk, and clicked her screen off. "I'll text it around later," she said, glancing at Draco with that same devilish smirk on her face.

They sat, watching the sun rise and then the waves, until it was time to go and get the keys for their condo. They walked only a few blocks and came upon the house they'd rented online - a light blue house with big open windows, multiple balconies and a door that led right out to the beach. The man who waited for them was pleasant looking - an older gentlemen with silver hair, kind eyes, and a brightly colored floral button down. He was a wizard - one reason why Harry chose this house for them to rent - and gave them the rundown on magic usage.

"The house is safe enough. I've got wards in place, but feel free to place your own temporary ones once you're inside. The floo's connected to mine at my home if you need anything. Magic on the beach isn't a great idea. Lots of Muggles, and the ocean water does something crazy to certain charms." He handed the keys to Harry, who he'd spoken with already. "Have fun, kids," he said with a wink, before turning and slowly walking away, down the cobblestone street lined with palm trees and Spanish moss.

Inside, the building had not been magically expanded as they'd all sort of expected. They walked into the living area with a kitchen off to the side. Three bedrooms were on the ground floor with two bathrooms, and two bedrooms were upstairs with a single bathroom between them. Blaise and Luna claimed one downstairs bedroom straight away, shutting the door with laughs, and Hermione rolled her eyes. She remembered when she and Ron had been like that - before his potion use got out of control and he quit touching her altogether. She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts.

"I'll bunk with Hermione," Pansy said, taking her hand. She tugged her away, up the stairs, claiming a room down the hall, right beside the room Harry had just headed into with his stuff.

"Looks like we're neighbors," Draco said, slipping past them with a smirk. "Potter, Longbottom won't room with me - something about thinking I'm actually a vampire or some rubbish - and Theo's a slob. You're stuck with me."

Harry stuck his head out and nodded. "Do you snore?" he asked, his glasses falling down his nose.

"Do I snore?" Draco rolled his eyes. "How dare you."

He walked in, leaving the door open behind him, and Hermione snorted. "They're idiots," she said, to which Pansy nodded emphatically.

"We can hear you," Harry called, making Hermione laugh louder.

"It's not a secret!" She laughed when the boys' door slammed, then joined Pansy in their room.

"We share a balcony with them!" Pansy called, flopping on the bed furthest from the balcony and pointing. "Think of all the pranks we can play!" she whispered loudly.

Hermione smiled, feeling the weight of Ron's betrayal lifting faster than she'd thought it would thanks to this unlikely group of friends she'd cultivated thanks to WICS.

"Now, come on. We need to get ready so we can get to the beach as soon as we can!" She stripped her travel clothes off, showing no modesty as she stripped down to nothing before she slipped her black and white bikini on. Hermione avoided looking at her, though Pansy would have cared if she did, and found herself wanting to be more like the fearless, brunette Slytherin.

With a deep breath, she, too, stripped down to her underwear. Pansy was turned away, organizing the many clothes she'd brought, so Hermine quickly stripped the rest of the way and slipped her modest light pink two piece on. It was a tankini, and Hermione realized that next to Pansy, she looked like an adolescent.

There was not time to get another bathing suit now. So Hermione, always one to be over prepared, slipped sunscreen, her wand, towels, and two books into her bag. She was tired from their flight, but wanted to get back to the beach as well, to relax to the calming sound of the ocean.

She pulled a bathing suit cover - mint green and flowy - over her swim suit, following by an oversized straw hat.

Pansy laughed, and Hermione scowled. "A person should protect their skin," she said, straightening her hat. Pansy smirked and cast a sun protectant charm over her ivory skin, then slipped a flowy black skirt over her hips, following by white flip flops and big, round sunglasses. She looked like a model and Hermione felt herself wanting to hide in comparison.

"A person should also flaunt her _stuff,_" she said with a flick of her hips, making Hermione laugh. "Come on, we'll grab some snacks and meet the others in the kitchen."

As soon as Hermione's bag was properly stuffed - bottles of water, crisps, sandwiches that Pansy had apparently already, shrunk, and put under stasis in her bag - Harry and Draco came down the steps. They both wore board shorts and tee shirts. Harry was grinning, looking different without his glasses - he was trying contacts, finally - but Draco was scowling.

"What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked, shifting the bag higher on her shoulder as he walked to join her. It had a feather-light charm on it, but it was still very bulky. Draco took it was a sigh.

"I don't like to be out in the sun," he said just as Neville came out of his room, his eyes going wide. "_Not _because I'm a bloody vampire, Longbottom!" he said, and Neville blushed. "I burn easily," he said, scowling down at Hermione.

"We'll do a sun protectant charm _and _sun screen. You'll be fine," she said, patting his arm.

"Fine," he huffed, the bright yellow beach with large coral flowers bag looking odd on his shoulder. "Well, let's get this over with then."

"We'll meet you all later," Blaise said, popping his head out of the bedroom, hair askew. "We're, um, yes. Tired! That's it. See you!" They all heard Luna's musical laugh before Blaise clearly threw a silencing charm over the room as the door slammed. Hermione felt the stirrings of jealousy, and squashed them quickly. She didn't want Blaise. She just missed having that with someone.

Ginny and Daphne came out of their room, dressed for the day rather than the beach. "Where are you going?" Hermione asked, missing her friend and wanting to bridge the gap, even if it was too soon. To her credit, Ginny smiled a small smile, and Hermione felt another piece of her pain soften.

"Shopping," she said with a smile. "We'll buy some food, but also some fun American beach clothes! We're taking Theo and Neville with us."

"You are?" Neville asked, already changed into his swim trunks.

"Of course they are," Theo said, slipping between the two witches and slinging his arms over their shoulders.

"Alright then," Neville said with a shrug, a slight blush to his cheeks, as he went back into his room to change.

"Looks like it's just us then," Pansy said, a wicked gleam in her eye. "Come on then, Potter. I have a feeling these two are going to be sticks in the mud and leave the ocean all to us to protect their precious skin." She winked at Hermione as she led the way, out the house's back doors, toward the beach.


	3. 3: The Beach

**Still no beta. All my errors are still mine. Still bow down to JK Rowling on the reg.**

* * *

The sun was hot, even so early in the morning. Fortunately for both Draco and Hermione, the owner of this condo had two large umbrellas to take out to the beach. Draco and Harry grabbed one, and carried it out to just above the tide line and stuck it securely in the sand at an angle.

"Don't forget a sun charm!" Hermione called to Harry as he tossed his shirt and ran for the waves, followed closely by Pansy after she ditched her skirt, flip flops, and sunglasses with a confident flourish.

He waved back at her with a thumbs up and she laughed.

"Your son is a menace," Draco said, sitting as close to the umbrella as he could to stay out of the sun's rays.

Hermione laughed. "More like my brother, but I see your point." She deposited her bag and laid out a towel to sit on. "Would you like some sunscreen?"

"I've already done the charm, and it only works about half the time," he said, scowling. "Will this Muggle cream help?"

"Oh, yes," she said with a nod. "I always burn, then freckle, unless I use both. Here, I'll get your back. It smells like coconuts."

If it weren't so hot out, Hermione would have noticed Draco's blush as he peeled his shirt away and turned away from her. He'd stopped hiding his Dark Mark over the years, wearing tee shirts around them during WICS meetings and when they hung out, but this was the first time she'd seen him without a shirt.

Hermione's mouth ran dry at the sight of his defined muscles and hard chest. He'd kept playing Quidditch in a league with Harry after Hogwarts, and it paid off. Even the jagged sectumsempra scar didn't take away from the sight. Ron had let himself go - which didn't matter to her in the least, because looks were really such a small part of a real relationship - but still, being confronted with someone who looked like Draco was enough to set anyone's heart racing.

"It'll be a bit cold," she said, squirting the white cream into her hand and starting to rub it into the pale, smooth skin of his back. With a smirk he couldn't see, she left letter-shaped patches on his shoulder. He wouldn't burn with the charm, but he'd have a lovely little tan in the shape of three letters. "There." She wiped her hands on her towel. "Just be sure to do your chest and arms and legs, too, and you won't burn. Promise."

She watched from the corner of her eye as he rubbed the white cream into his equally pale skin. She avoided the temptation to turn fully and watch the way the cream seeped into his skin.

"Don't forget your face," she said, blushing when her comment let him know she _had_ been watching, even as she pretended not to. He smirked. "Here, you'll miss spots if you can't see what you're doing." She got up on her knees and moved toward him to gently rub sunscreen into his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, and above his lip. She was focused on not getting into his eyes and not missing any spots, so she missed how his lips parted slightly with her proximity, how his breath quickened just so.

"Do you need any?" he asked, his voice huskier than usual. He cleared his voice. "On your back?"

"Oh, yes. I suppose so," she said, nervous. When they'd arrived on the beach, Pansy had walked right up and thrown her skirt down. Trying to channel some of that confidence, even though her swimsuit made her look like a child, she slowly peeled off her flowy dress-like cover, missing the way Draco's eyes bulged for a moment. She turned and when the cool cream touched her skin, she shivered.

Draco worked the cream into her shoulders, his large hands kneading the flesh along her back, and Hermione fought the urge to groan at how good it felt. It had been _so _long since someone had really touched her, but she held herself in check, because this was her friend, and she wouldn't go and make it awkward by behaving like an attention-starved loon.

"Your face?" he asked when he finished much too soon, and she turned, grateful the heat explained her red cheeks.

"Sure. Thank you," she said, and he delicately rubbed it along her nose. She kept her eyes closed, not sure she would be able to be this close to his face without saying something stupid.

"All done," he said after a moment and she scooted back. Hermione covered her legs and arms in the cream, then slipped her hand beneath her tankini to cover her stomach, just in case it rode up at all.

"I'm assuming you brought a book," Draco said after she was done, both still covered completely by the shade of the overly large umbrella. Hermione shot him a dark look and he laughed, the awkwardness of before gone.

"I'll take that as a yes. Did you happen to bring an extra?" He leaned back on his elbows, pulling his toes back when they snuck into the sunlight.

With a grimace, she pulled out both books. "Take your pick." The grin he gave her made goosebumps erupt over her arms, even in the heat.

* * *

After reading in silence for the next half hour or so, Pansy ran back up the beach, dripping wet, a smile stretched across her face.

"I bet Potter ten galleons I'd get up here and you'd both be reading and fully clothed." She smirked as she saw them both reclined in their swimsuits, Hermione's hat still on. "I suppose I'll settle for taking five. Now, come on, you have to come in the water! We're at the beach, for Merlin's sake!" She looked at them with a smirk before turning and running back to the waves where Harry was flailing, jumping into each wave as they crashed against him.

Draco sighed. "You're sure this sun cream stuff will work?" Draco asked, carefully placing a bookmark carefully in the novel he'd borrowed.

"Positive," she said with a nod.

"Well, if we don't get down there, she will come back, and I wouldn't put it past her to levitate us out into the water," he deadpanned.

Hermione laughed. "Let her then!" she said, going back to her book.

Draco stood, his head nearly bumping the umbrella, and gently pulled her book away.

"Hey!" She said, reaching for it even as he tucked a bookmark in to mark her page and sat it on to pof his own.

He grinned and pulled her oversized hat off her head, her curls falling around her face from where she'd tucked them up inside it.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, trying to scoot backward, her eyes panicked.

With a devilish grin he leaned forward and scooped her up, lifting her over his shoulder, gripping her legs as he stood up straight.

"Draco Malfoy, you put me down this _instant!_" she screamed as he bounded down the beach, the sun beating down on them. "Draco!"

"You want me to put you down?" he asked with a laugh in his voice. She could hear the waves, see them crashing at his feet.

"Don't you dare," she said, unable to hide the laugh hiding in her chest.

"Don't I dare, _what, _Granger?" She could just picture the smirk he wore.

"Don't you dare - " but before she could answer, he ran into the water and tossed her, arms flailing, into the sea.

She popped up from the water spluttering, hair in her face, and over the roar of the waves heard him laughing. "That was _not _funny!" she yelled, the effect of her words ruined by the smile on her face as she fought with her sopping wet hair..

"It was kind of funny," he said, stepping closer in the waves. Standing, the water was barely to her waist and it pressed against her, causing her to sway.

"It was _hilarious,_" Harry said, splashing into the waves beside them, followed closely by Pansy who's hair was slicked back from the saltwater in a way that made her look like some sort of beach-side model.

"You're both idiots," Pansy said, smirking as she leaned her elbow on Draco's shoulder, her eyes flicking toward Harry for the briefest of moments as if to gauge his reaction.

"As we said earlier," Hermione said, self consciously trying to tug her ocean soaked curls off her face and failing. Next to Pansy, she looked like a drowned rat, and even though there was no one here for her to impress, it bothered her.

"Potter, can you believe they'd say something like that to us?" Draco asked, mockingly covering his heart with his hand. He didn't push Pansy off and Hermione felt a twinge of something akin to jealousy.

"I can't, mate. They injure us," Harry said, falling back in the waves before bouncing back up like a small child, a grin on his face.

"We should teach them manners," Draco said, his eyes falling on Hermione as she continued to struggle to get her hair out of her face.

With a yell like a war cry, Harry lunged at Pansy, knocking her away from Draco, and she laugh-screamed as she fell back into the waves, her arms around Harry's neck.

"Oh no," Hermione said, backing away with her hands out.

"Oh yes," Draco said, shoulders hunched as he approached her like a hunting cat. Or perhaps, she thought, a hunting dragon.

"Malfoy," she said in warning, and he lunged, his arms going around her waist as they fell back into the waves. Salt water rushed around her and then he pulled her up, her hair pulled back so that it was finally out of her eyes. He was laughing as he held her to his chest and she sputtered.

He looked down when she didn't try to pull away, only to see her smirk and hook his knee with hers, sending him down into the waves with a startled look on his face.

Hermione laughed as he fell until his arms tightened around her waist and she went down with him.

He popped back up quickly, and she laughed more even as she rubbed more saltwater from her eyes and pushed her hair back in a way she knew was not attractive.

"Can we please have a truce?" she asked breathlessly, aware of how he still held her against him in the water - the juxtaposition of his body heat and the cool water lapping around her legs making her tremble.

He looked down at her again, his white blonde hair dark with saltwater stuck to his forehead and his eyes shining. The sight of him, water dripping down his bare chest, a smile plastered on his face, made her stomach clench and she couldn't wipe the smile from her face. How long had it been since she'd laughed, or smiled, this much?

He pushed some hair back away from her face and studied her for a moment while he decided. "Truce," he agreed after a moment. "But only because I'm jet lagged and feeling generous."

She laughed and let her head fall toward his chest for just a moment, savoring the feel of the sound of ocean in her ears and the feel of his arms around her.

"Oi!" Harry said, splashing toward them again. Hermione pulled away from Draco and covered her face, scowling at her raven haired friend. It was odd seeing him without his glasses on. "Pansy and I are going up to eat something. You lot coming?"

"You make us get in the water, now you're making us leave?" Draco asked, flipping his hair back and looking every bit the beach-side model that Pansy had.

"Have you ever tried telling Pansy _no_ about something?" Harry asked with a lopsided grin.

"I have," Draco replied, glancing at Hermione and giving her a wink. "But I have a feeling you'll be telling her _yes _far more than anything else this trip."

Harry's whole face turned red and Draco laughed loudly. "Come on now, Potter, wouldn't want to keep her waiting, now, would we?" With a quick glance back at Hermione, he offered her his hand, and without second guessing herself, she took it and let him help her through the shallow waves back to shore.

Back under the umbrella, Pansy was unpacking the sandwiches and crisps. Harry flopped onto the towel beside her, and Hermione watched Pansy give him a coy look over her shoulder before continuing to unpack food. Hermione and Draco, due to the cramped space, sat shoulder to shoulder on the other towel.

"Can you hand me my phone, Pans?" she asked, enjoying the way the heat of the day was slowly drying the water on her body. She dug her toes into the sand beside the towel. "I need to make sure no one back home needs me."

Pansy obviously rolled her eyes and dug the phone out, tossing it onto the towel beside her. Hermione, fingers dry, pressed her thumb to the screen and turned airplane mode off. As notifications lit up the screen, her heart went into her throat.

Ron had texted her. Ron, with two red hearts beside his name, had sent multiple texts and had called 11 times. With hands that shook and a heart that was beating so wildly it felt it might leap from her chest she opened her texts.

_Mione. Where are u? Call me back!  
I called, but it went to mail. Call me bck. Please.  
We need 2 talk. You said so urself. Call me.  
Dammit! Where r u? I need 2 explain what happened !  
UR clothes R gone. Please, baby, come home. Talk to me. I love u.  
Whatever pansy told u was a lie. This is bullshit. I need u.  
U said if anyone ever called on these phones, u'd answer. So bloody answer!  
Fuck this.  
I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm just so worried. Pelase, call me back. I need 2 fix this. I need 2 talk 2 u._

"Everything OK?" Draco asked as he offered a sandwich to Hermione.

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and shook her head. Without a word she handed him her phone and watched as his eyes grew large, before he squinted in anger. "There are voicemails," he said, his voice low. Pansy and Harry were watching them. Hermione's panicked eyes shot to him.

"I'll listen," Harry said, taking the phone before she could argue. "Be right back." He stood, clasping her shoulder on the way, and disappeared toward the house.

"It was stupid to expect he'd leave me alone, wasn't it?" Hermione asked, teary gaze landing on Pansy. Pansy pressed her lips together in sympathy and patted Hermione's foot.

"Not stupid," she said. "Unrealistic maybe, but not stupid."

"We're here, Granger," Draco said, his arm going around her shoulder. She couldn't help but feel a tad guilty at how good his skin felt against hers where she leaned into him. "We've got you."

"I know," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She closed her eyes and tried to calm how her hands trembled. It was good she wasn't in London, because if just a text from him sent her into such a tailspin, she couldn't imagine what seeing him would do.

Harry came back a few minutes later and handed her the phone. "I didn't delete them," he said. "I wasn't sure if you'd want me to, but I really wouldn't recommend you listening." He grimaced as he retook his seat beside Pansy. "He was using, I think. Slurred. Angry in the last one. He said some nasty stuff. Just, if you do listen, make sure one of us is with you, OK? Don't listen to them alone."

She sat up, pulling away from Draco, and nodded. When she looked back at her phone, she couldn't help but laugh in spite of the hollow feeling in her chest. The red hearts beside Ron's name had been replaced on one side by a goofy-looking clown, and on the other by a red-faced devil.

"Thanks, Harry," she said, her voice soft as she closed the screen, leaving Ron's texts on _READ_ without responding to any of them.

In awkward silence, they finished their sandwiches and packed up, the allure of the beach gone for the moment. Hermione put her minty bathing suit cover back on, along with her oversized hat, but before she could lift the bag, Draco grabbed it, and with Harry's help, pulled the umbrella from the sand to carry back to their house.

* * *

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing - reading, snacking, resting - for everyone except Hermione. She kept her phone in her hand, nervous it would buzz while also being nervous it wouldn't. She wasn't sure which was worse - the thought of Ron not trying to reach her, because he was either with a girl or too high, or the thought of him sitting in their flat, trying to reach her, and her not answering.

At the end of the night, after Ginny and Daphne cooked for everyone, finally drawing Blaise and Luna from their love cocoon, Hermione excused herself to bed early. She waited until the noise in the house died down, until Pansy had come in and crawled into her own bed, to quit pretending to sleep and slip out onto the balcony.

She took a deep breath as she used her thumb to open her phone.

The sliding glass door beside hers opened and Hermione jumped as Draco - wearing grey sweats and a white v-neck - came out, rubbing his eyes. She looked at her phone - it was just past midnight.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked quietly as he shut the door behind him and yawned.

"I heard you come out," he said with a shrug. He joined her beside the rail and together they looked out at the ocean. "You're going to listen to the voicemails, huh?" He nodded toward the phone in her hand.

She nodded, gripping the phone tighter, expecting him to argue with her. They were friends, but if anyone was going to argue with her about this, it was him. If nothing else, she could always count on him to challenge her when she needed him to.

He just sighed and moved back to the wall between the two sliding doors, sliding to the ground and holding his arm out for her to join him. After only a moment, she did, slipping against him as if she'd done it her whole life.

"You're not going to tell me it's not worth it?" she asked, feeling a shiver where his arm touched her and blaming it on the cold ocean air.

"I'd love to do that," he said with a dark chuckle. "But I know it won't do any good." He shrugged and his thumb absently stroked the bare skin of her shoulder just below the edge of her tank stop strap. "And, if it were me, I'd need to hear them, I think."

She nodded and clicked open her screen, laughing lightly when she saw the clown and devil emojis Harry had added to Ron's name. She showed Draco, and he laughed too.

"Do we all get emojis? Or just the Weasel?" he asked, obviously trying to delay her having to hear the messages.

She clicked her home button and went to her contacts list, clicking FAVORITES. Ron's name was first, and quickly, she edited the list and removed him. Now, Harry was first, with a lightning bolt on either side of his name. After that was Pansy's name surrounded by bright pink flowers. And then, third on the list, was Draco, his name surrounded by stars.

"Stars, huh?" he asked, lips quirking up. "Not the little Chinese dragon guy?"

She laughed. "The dragon was of course my first choice, but have you looked at it? It's rather silly looking. And _draco _is a constellation, so, stars." She shrugged.

"I'm flattered," he said with a smirk. "But the lightning bolt for Potter is atrocious."

She elbowed him lightly and he laughed, his thumb resuming its gently stroking of her shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked softly.

She nodded.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

She shook her head, panicking at the thought of him not being right where he was. She'd planned to do this alone, but now that he was here, she knew she wouldn't be able to do it alone.

There were three messages. With shaking hands she pressed play on the first one and brought the phone to her ear.

The pain in Ron's voice brought tears to her eyes and she closed them as she listened. Draco's arm was a reassuring weight across her shoulders and she let herself pull courage from his touch.

"Hermione, it's Ron. Where are you? I'm - I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking." His voice broke. "I love you so damn much, and I just need to know where you are. I'll come to you, wherever it is. Just, please, call me back. I love you, Hermione. I love you."

Tears rolled down her face as she brought the phone away from her cheek, her breaths ragged and choppy. The way he said _I love you _almost sounded like it had when they first fell in love. But not quite. She opened her eyes and clicked play on the next one. It was longer and her stomach flipped as it started.

"Goddamit, I've called you over and over and _nothing_. What game are you playing? Where the _fuck _are you? Listen, I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell, only - _fuck! _I need to know where you are. We have to talk, don't we? You have to let me explain. I messed up, but you have to forgive me. Talk to me. You _always _forgive me! Hermione, please, please, just - please call me." There was a brief pause where she thought she heard him drink something. "Unless," he said, his breath heavy on the other line, "unless you're with someone else. You better fucking not be, 'Mione. Call me."

She gasped at the anger in his voice, her eyes squeezed shut again as tears matted her lashes together. There was one more, and without waiting for her pain to overwhelm her she pressed play and shoved the phone against her ear.

"Who are you shagging, Hermione?" His voice was cold. "I been thinkin', and that's th'only reason I can think that you'd not answer me. Not tell me where you were. Think you're high and mighty on your horse, catchin' me with a girl, so you go 'n shag some other dick." Another drink of something. "Fuck you."

Hermione dropped her phone, pulled her knees to her chest, and buried her face into them as quiet sobs wracked her body. Beside her, Draco was quiet. She knew he'd probably been able to hear most of the conversation from his spot beside her, but he didn't rage like she expected. Instead, he just started rubbing her shoulder again, the skin of his hands rough but his touch gentle. She squeezed her knees to her as hot tears soaked through her thin pajama pants.

"This isn't fair," Hermione said into her space between her knees.

"I know," he said, his voice quiet, but gruff.

She lifted her head, wiping tears and snot from her face with both hands. "You don't have to stay out here," she said, nodding emphatically. "I'll be fine on my own. Really. This is your vacation."

He huffed and pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her more securely. "For the last four years, you've taken it upon your small shoulders to make sure that we are _all _OK. You keep your phone on constantly in case one of us needs you, and never once have you reached out to any of us, except maybe Harry, for help." He reached up and tucked a stray curl - bouncy from the saltwater earlier and lack of a shower after - behind her ear. "So, I'm reaching out to help you. Whether you like it or not."

It's what she'd said to him, more or less, the first day she'd taken him for ice cream. His words were like a balm and she slowly started to relax. Not ready to lose his comfort, in a moment of complete selfishness, she turned slightly and laid her head on the inside of his shoulder and took a deep breath. His cologne was gone, but the smell of _him_ \- something that was always under the cologne, but she'd never thought of as separate until now - was still there.

"Thank you for being my friend," she said, and she felt him chuckle.

"What a daft thing to say," he said even as his arm tightened around her shoulder.

They sat that way in silence for the next hour. Only when Hermione started to nod off, her head falling forward on his chest, did Draco suggest they go to bed.

"If you need me, I'm in the bed closest to the door," he said as he opened her glass door for her to go in. "OK?"

She nodded, and impulsively she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "You're a really great friend," she whispered as she came back down, flat on her feet. "I'm sorry it's taken so long to truly figure that out."

"Back at you, Granger," he said, his voice gruff again.

He turned and she slid her glass door shut, leaving it unlocked just in case he needed her sometime in the night, too. The walls in this house were thick, and she didn't hear him get into bed, but she imagined it, and that gave her some level of comfort. She plugged her phone in beside her bed and slipped under the covers, turning to face the moonlight pouring in from the balcony. With the memory of the warm skin of his cheek still on her lips, she fell asleep.


	4. 4: The Ferris Wheel

**I'm overwhelmed by the response to this story so far! You all make me feel like a million bucks. **

**Still no BETA. JK is still the best.**

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke with a headache from crying so much the night before. She was really getting sick of the crying. It made her feel weak, and she didn't care for it. Pansy was sitting up on her bed, a cup of coffee in her hands, watching her with a quizzical expression.

"It's creepy to watch someone sleep," Hermione said as she stretched and kicked her covers off.

"You were on the balcony with Draco last night," Pansy said, sipping her coffee. Her hair was all over the place, sticking up in patches. Her pajamas - fuzzy pajama bottoms with golden snitches all over them and a baggy tee shirt with a hole in one shoulder - made Hermione's pajamas look lovely in comparison. It was strange to see the confident Slytherin girl looking anything less than perfect. Strange and humanizing.

"He sat with me while I listened to Ron's messages," she said as if it were nothing big. "Is there more coffee?"

Pansy nodded and flicked her wand. A moment later, a half-full cup floated into the room and landed on Hermione's bedside table, which meant she'd already had it made and ready for her. Hermione took a sip and sighed.

"And?" Pansy asked, reclining and balancing her coffee mug on her sternum.

"And he let me cry all over him while I listened to a very _high_ Ron call me a whore." She sipped her coffee, feeling numb toward it all, grateful there were no new tears to shed.

"Oh," Pansy said, as she winced. "Harry said the messages were bad, but - I'm sorry."

Hermione shrugged and sipped her coffee again. It made her a terrible Brit, but she loved coffee. "He was right when he said I shouldn't listen to it alone."

"So you asked him to listen with you?" Pansy asked as she stood and came to sit on Hermione's bed beside her. "I would have listened with you." She sounded curious rather than jealous.

"I didn't ask him to," Hermione said, running her finger over the rim of her mug. "I went outside, and he came out of his room. He said he heard me."

Pansy snorted into her coffee. "Knowing Draco, he was probably waiting to make sure you were OK. After you went to bed, Harry and I each volunteered to sit watch in case you needed us, but Malfoy talked us out of it."

Hermione leaned away and scowled at the dark-haired girl. "I don't need anyone to _sit watch,_" she said with a sneer. "I'm _fine._"

"We know you're strong," Pansy said, sitting her coffee down and moving to Hermione's bed to wrap her long, thin arms around her waist, even as Hermione snorted with anger. "We know you're capable. But we also know you're stubborn." She gave Hermione a hard hug, then let go to grab her coffee again. "And we love you, so deal with it."

Hermione sighed. She knew they were right.

"So, Draco, _you, _and _Harry_ were talking, huh?" Hermione asked, desperate to change the subject. "You and Harry have been talking a _lot _lately." She grinned over the rim of her cup as Pansy smiled, big and bright, that same mischievous look in her eye that Hermione never fully understood the meaning of.

"Oh, you better believe we have," Pansy said, laying back on Hermione's bed, her coffee cup perched on her flat stomach. "I don't know. Something about watching goody-two-shoes Harry Potter punch someone _in the face _for his friend did something to me." She pushed herself up onto her elbows, threw back the rest of her cold coffee and Hermione took the mug. "I can't get that wiry little Chosen One out of my head."

Hermione grinned. "Well, I've known Harry quite well for a long time, and I'm fairly certain if you were to make a move, it would be reciprocated."

Pansy laughed. "Oh, I know. He's fancied me for a while, I think. I just wasn't interested until I saw him get all righteous with fury." She waggled her eyebrows at Hermione. "Did you two ever - "

"No," Hermione said with a laugh. "Definitely not."

"Draco and I did," Pansy said, her smile falling some. She sat up and crossed her legs like they were taught to in primary school. "I mean, we never had sex or anything, but we dated." She talked about sex so nonchalantly, Hermione choked on her coffee, but Pansy ignored it. "Everyone assumed we'd had sex, he had quite a reputation that was _completely_ unfounded, but neither of us crossed that particular bridge 'til after Hogwarts, and it wasn't with each other." Pansy said it all in such a blasé way, Hermione didn't know how to respond.

"Er, that's nice?" Hermione said, putting her coffee cup down.

"Just thought you'd like to know." Pansy hopped off the bed. "I'm going to shower! We should go explore the city today." She walked out of the room, and Hermione heard a cheeky, "Morning, Potter," a moment before Harry popped in.

"How are you this morning?" he asked, plopping on the bed next to her. The only person who could rival Pansy's bed head was Harry's, she was sure.

"I'm fine," she said as he picked up her abandoned, mostly-full coffee and took a sip, then grimaced.

"I saw you out on the patio last night with Malfoy," he said then yawned. "I take it you listened to the messages?" He sipped her coffee and with a grimace put it back on the table.

"Did he tell you?" she asked, pulling her knees to her chest.

"No." Harry shook his head. "I asked him what you were doing out there, but he said I just needed to talk to you. I just assumed."

Hermione nodded, a small smile playing on her lips.

"He was angry, though," Harry said, his voice soft. "Not at you," he said quickly, "but I've known him for years now, and he was _really_ angry."

"I didn't let him hear what Ron said, but I think he heard anyway. I was pretty upset, and he was sitting just beside me," she said, pulling her knees to her chest again.

"Ron's sick," Harry said, running his fingers through his hair, making it messier than before. "It's not an excuse, his potions use," he said quickly as he adjusted his glasses on his nose. "It's just a fact. I think you need to stay away from him - over the phone and in person - honestly." He sighed. "I've thought so for a while, but I didn't know how to tell you. He's like my brother, and you're like my sister, but you need to stay away from each other."

"I know," Hermione said, snuggling closer to her knees. "I want to be able to help him, like I'd help any of you, but - "

"No, it's not your job," he said, scooting closer and putting his arm around her shoulders. "The rest of us will help him. Your job is to take care of _you._"

The door opened and Pansy walked in. Upon seeing her, Harry's arm dropped quickly from Hermione's shoulders and she had to hold in a laugh at how obviously he wanted to impress the Slytherin girl.

"Theo went and rented a sailboat," Pansy said as she flopped back onto her bed. Her hair was still a wreck from sleep, her clothes were not flattering - fuzzy and holey and too big - and still Harry looked at her like she was water and he was the thirstiest man alive. "I don't particularly want to go sailing, but I've decided that the four of us are a team, so whatever you all decide, I'm good with."

"Four?" Hermione asked just as Draco walked in, plopping down on Pansy's bed just as she had moments before.

"Forget about me?" he asked with a smirk and she rolled her eyes.

"As if you'd ever let anyone forget about you," she said, rolling her eyes.

"So, sailing," Pansy interrupted, a cat-like grin stretched across her face. "Are we going? Or are we not? Because I get the feeling that Theo's trying to impress Ginevra to get into her knickers, and we might be a buzzkill." She glanced at Harry quickly to gauge his reaction. "And I'm not sure any of us want to see that."

Hermione waited for Harry to tense, to react to the news, but he didn't. When had he gotten over her? Regardless, she was happy for it. "Who else is going, then?" Hermione asked, trying once more to sip her coffee and finding it cold. A quick nonverbal warming spell had it back to rights in a jiffy.

"Neville, Daphne, Blaise, and Luna are all going." Pansy quirked an eyebrow at her. "So, Neville and Daphne and some kissing-groping-mass that has both blonde and black hair."

"Sounds crowded," Hermione said, hoping she were reading Pansy's signals well. Pansy liked Harry. Harry liked Pansy. As their friend, Hermione felt it was their duty to try and push them together. "Why don't we do something else?"

"I'm game," Harry said, sitting up and smiling at Pansy in his goofy _I-like-you_ sort of way.

"Any ideas?" Draco asked before he yawned. Hermione felt a pang of guilt that he hadn't gotten much sleep, because of her.

"Folly Beach," Pansy said, standing from her bed. "I looked it up. It should give us the whole tourist-beach experience." She grinned. "We'll need a car, though."

"I'll call for a taxi," Harry said, smiling and scrambling off the bed. "Be ready in a few!"

When he left the room, Hermione laughed and looked at Pansy.

"I wonder if he'll keep the glasses on, or take them off," Pansy said, dissolving into laughter and earning a very confused look from Draco.

"On that note," he said, standing and giving Hermione a quick smile as he left. He stopped in the doorway and looked at them both. "Girls are weird," he announced, and they both just laughed harder.

* * *

They ended up taking two taxis to Folly Beach so they weren't crammed into a backseat with one person awkwardly in front with a stranger. So that Pansy and Harry could have some time together, Hermione pulled Draco to the second taxi without saying anything. Harry smiled at her brightly and Pansy winked.

"I think you were right about those two," Hermione said after she gave the taxi driver the address they'd chosen - a coffee shop ironically called _Black Magic Cafe_.

"I'd bet they're making out in the cab as we speak," Draco said, leaning forward conspiratorially.

"Oh, I don't know about _that,_" Hermione said, blushing.

"Hermione Granger blushes," he said, leaning away and laughing. "I'll store that away for later."

She didn't know what to make of his comment, it left her feeling a little light headed, so she just stayed quiet.

"I wanted to ask you this morning if you were alright," he said softly.

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek. She looked up at him and for the first time wasn't surprised to see the concern written across his pale face.

"I am," she said, surprising herself with how much she meant it. "It was hard to hear, obviously. But, I mean, it was sort of good, too." She shrugged and her shoulder brushed his. "Gave me some closure, I guess. Let me see things for how they are, instead of how I feel like they should be."

"Well, seeing your reaction - " he took a deep breath. "I've never wanted to beat someone to a pulp so much in my whole life." Draco held his hands in his lap, clenching and unclenching his fists, his Dark Mark faded and easy to ignore on his forearm.

Hermione reached over and slipped her hand into one of his to stop the clenching. She laced their fingers together and gave his hand a squeeze, as he'd done for her on the plane.

"I'm really OK," she said, smiling up at him, and he nodded, squeezing her hand back.

It was awkward for a moment, and then Draco asked, "So, I see how you've been watching Pansy and Potter. How exactly are you planning to shove those two together?"

Her mouth fell open and her cheeks heated.

"That's what I thought," he said with a laugh. "How can I help?" he asked, his lips quirking up on one side and she laughed.

"We should have been doing this whole me-and-you friend thing a long time ago," she said with a smile.

He just nodded and tightened his grip on her hand.

* * *

The adventure to Folly Beach went just as well as Hermione could have hoped.

In the coffee house there were two small couches, and Hermione quickly sat by Draco so Harry and Pansy would have to sit together on the other. Hermione bought them two brownies, claiming they'd been running low and she didn't want to take them all, and insisted they needed to share. So, with a napkin on Draco's knee, they shared one, while Harry and Pansy shared the other. Hermione's fingers brushed Draco's and she elbowed him playfully as he tried to take the last bite. He laughed as she stole it and popped it in her mouth, and for a moment, Hermione forgot she was doing this for the other two members of her party, and not herself.

"Where to now?" Pansy asked as she stood and threw away both napkins. Harry was wearing a goofy smile.

"There's a trail that leads to a lighthouse," Hermione said, pulling out a pamphlet they had on the front counter of the coffee house. "Let's go there next."

The trail to the lighthouse ended up being longer than Hermione anticipated, but it was still fun. Draco and Hermione led the way, letting Pansy and Harry trail behind for some privacy. She heard Pansy laugh and heard Harry stumble and curse, which made her grin. Just because her own relationship had failed, didn't mean all relationships were bound to. Seeing them together gave her hope for something for herself one day.

When they finally reached the lighthouse, they were all sweaty, but smiling.

"Get in front of the lighthouse," Hermione said, pulling out her phone for a picture and motioning to Pansy and Harry. She glanced at her screen - no new messages - and exhaled in relief. "Let me get a picture!"

Pansy grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him in front of the lighthouse - tall with large brown and white stripes.

"It's like a scene from a movie," Hermione said as she held up her phone, framing them in the shot. "Put your arm around her, Harry!"

Harry smirked - an expression that was so Slytherin it made Hermione giggle. He draped his arm over Pansy's shoulder, and to one up him, she snuggled into his side and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Perfect," Hermione said, smiling as she snapped photo after photo.

"OK!" Pansy said, laughing and pulling away from Harry. "Your turn. The two of you, get over there!"

Hermione started to protest, but Draco grabbed her hand and dragged her to same spot where Harry and Pansy had been.

Without being prompted, Draco pulled Hermione in front of him and wrapped his arms around her waist. She couldn't help the broad grin that took her face over.

"For the sake of posterity," he said into her ear, and she laughed as Pansy, too, snapped picture after picture.

After the lighthouse, they made their way to the boardwalk. They spent the rest of their day eating rich, delicious food, laughing, and relaxing. While sitting on a bench, eating ice cream - Hermione had chosen mint chocolate chip - Draco spilled some of his strawberry across the front. He let forth a stream of colorful language.

Hermione held out her hands. "Let me take it in the bathroom and clean it," she said with a laugh.

He grumbled as he peeled his tee shirt off. Again, Hermione tried to keep herself from staring at his pale chest, which was a little more tan now than it had been the day before, but not much.

As she walked away, shirt in hand, wand hidden in her bag, she heard Harry said, "Oi, what's that on your shoulder? It looks like - "

"Granger!" Draco yelled and Hermione laughed, ducking into the bathroom to avoid him. On his shoulder, she'd left her initials - HJG - free of sunscreen so that he'd have them tanned there for the world to see.

When she came back to her group, Harry was still laughing while Draco scowled. She handed him his shirt, a sheepish smile on her face.

"You branded me," he said, quirking an eyebrow at her. "What if I'd _burned_?" He slipped his shirt back on and she giggled.

"I put the charm on first. Muggle girls do it all the time - leave little marks to either tan more or less than others. It's supposed to be cute!"

"I'm not a Muggle girl and I don't care to be _cute_," he deadpanned, and Hermione, along with Pansy and Harry, burst into laughter again.

"It'll fade in a few days," she said with a shrug.

He shook his head and scowled, though the effect was diminished when he chuckled.

"We should probably be heading back soon," Harry said as he stood and stretched. Hermione watched as Pansy eyed the slim line of skin the bottom of his shirt showed.

"Let's go on the ferris wheel, first," Hermione said, eyes brightening with one last opportunity to shove them together. "Then we'll head back."

"You hate heights, Granger," Draco said, eyeing her with his signature smirk, but she just shrugged.

"There's only one way to get over a fear," she said with false bravado.

"Let's go then!" Pansy said brightly. She grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him down the boardwalk toward the ferris wheel.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Draco ask, stepping into line beside her, hands in his pockets.

She nodded as dread started to creep in. "It's safe," she squeaked, and he laughed.

"It's safe," he repeated, bumping her shoulder with his. "Don't worry, Granger. I won't let you fall."

Even though he was kidding, the knowledge that he would be there with her calmed her nerves the tiniest bit.

* * *

Harry and Pansy were already loaded into the cart by the time Hermione and Draco caught up with them.

"We can just stay down here," Hermione said as she looked up and saw how tall it actually was. It hadn't looked quite so tall from the other side of the boardwalk.

"Oh, no you don't," Draco said, taking her hand. Warmth spread from his fingers, and she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. "Only one way to get over your fear, remember?" His voice was dark and low, and she blushed.

"Fine," she huffed, unable to keep the smile from her face. She let him pull her into a cart, and then pulled the metal bar as far toward her lap as she could until it clicked. When the wheel shifted a moment later to load more passengers, Hermione squeaked and lunged for Draco's arm. He just chuckled and pulled his arm free, before draping it over her shoulder - something she was getting quite used to doing - and tugging her against his side.

By the time the whole wheel was loaded and started moving for real, Hermione had calmed down some. The closer they moved to the top, though, the more tense she grew. Draco's arm was warm around her shoulders, and he tugged her even closer, not saying anything when her grip on the metal bar in front of them tightened.

"See?" he said, his fingers drawing little patterns on her bare shoulder. "It's not so bad."

The wind was blowing, and Hermione forced her eyes, which she'd squeezed closed, open. She gasped as she saw the ocean all around them. The sun was close to setting and it shone off the water in ripples of warm gold.

She kept her fingers tight on the metal bar, but relaxed some, even managing to lean forward ever so lightly. "Wow," she breathed, the wind this high pushing loose hair in her eyes. She'd braided it, but it never stayed tightly braided for long. She turned toward Draco, eyes bright with the light from the sunset. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but the ferris wheel stopped, trapping them at the very top.

Hermione's eyes went wide and she immediately leaned back into him as the cart rocked. "Why did we stop?" she asked, too afraid to look down. Draco leaned over the edge, the wind whipping his blonde bangs all around.

"The operator looks confused." He sat back again. "I'm sure they'll get it worked out soon." He adjusted his grip on her shoulder to reassure her, and she let herself lean into his broad chest - something else she was getting much too comfortable doing.

"How do you always stay so calm?" she asked, letting herself focus on how warm he was next to her and not how the cart, high above the ground, rocked in the wind.

"A lifetime of practice," he said, his voice gruff. She chanced a look up at him and his jaw was set. "My father didn't approve of fear," he said quietly, and Hermione felt her stomach clench at the mention of the Malfoy patriarch. "He thought a Malfoy man should remain stoic at all times." He sighed. "I've let go of most of the what he taught me - " his hand spasmed on her shoulder, "thanks to you, and the group, but maintaining my calm is something I think I'll hang onto. Even if I'd rather let it all go."

Hermione bit her lip and turned slightly so she could wrap her arm around his chest and give him half of a hug. "Thanks for telling me all of that," she said, leaning against his chest, listening to the strong beat of his heart. "You don't talk about your past much."

"There's not much to say about it. Except how sorry I am, and - "

"And that right there is something you don't need to say anymore, as far as I'm concerned."

Draco paused, and then with a deliberate movement, he lowered his arm from her shoulders and let it rest on her waist instead - a much more intimate touch. She froze, but didn't move away, slowly relaxing back against him.

"This is nice," she said softly. She felt the vibration of his agreement in his chest and couldn't help but smile.

* * *

The ferris wheel started moving again after a few more minutes, and by the time they reached the ground, Hermione wasn't as scared of heights anymore. If anything, she wouldn't have minded getting stuck at the top for just a few more minutes.

They called two taxis to get back home, and Hermione smiled when she saw Harry lean over and whisper something in Pansy's ear, following by Pansy's laugh. Her plan seemed to have worked, at least a little.

"See you back at the house," Hermione called with a wave, and again, Pansy winked at her. "I give them a day before they disappear like Blaise and Luna," Hermione said as she scooted into the car, leaving room for Draco.

"I think one of us will be booted to the couch tonight," he said with a smirk.

"We'll see," she said, raising her eyebrows.

The taxi ride back to the condo took about thirty minutes. They were halfway back, laughing and looking through pictures from the day on Hermione's phone when it vibrated with a message from Ron.

Hermione's eyes shot to Draco's, panicked, then back to the phone. She opened the text: _Mione, I know you're mad, but I've messed up. I'm in trouble & I need help. I'm going 2 call u. Plz answer._

Hermione's hands shook as, seconds later, the phone rang, a photo of Ron, his arm around her shoulders as they both laughed, popped up onto the scene.

Hermione looked up at Draco with the silent question of whether or not she should answer it. Her heart thundered in her chest as he shrugged, his jaw tight.

She clicked answer and brought the phone to her ear. She waited a beat to catch her breath, then said in an almost whisper, "Hello?"

"Mione," Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin. I need you." His voice broke at the end and Hermione felt the calm she'd cultivated over the last day two days slip away.


	5. 5: The Bar

**Another chapter, coming at you! If you enjoy it, please leave a review!**

* * *

"Mione," Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "I need you." His voice broke at the end and Hermione felt the calm she'd cultivated over the last day two days slip away.

"Ron," she said, her own voice breaking. She felt Draco lean away and her hand darted out for his, grabbing it with fingers like iron. She drew strength from him and let that calmness steady her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Before - " he sniffled. He was crying. "Where are you?" he asked. "Can I come to you? Can we talk?"

"No," she said, shaking her head as if he could see. Her hand that held Draco's was tense like a claw and he threaded their fingers together, slipping his palm against hers, helping her relax. "I'm in the States. At the beach with our friends."

"You went?" he asked, his voice breaking again. "I can see why - you must be so mad - I just need us to talk." His voice was quiet.

"We - " she felt tears well in her eyes, though her voice remained steady. "We aren't together anymore. You know that, right?" She was shocked at how easy it was to say, how she'd already accepted it, even after only a few days.

"I know," he said. "I messed up, and - " he took a loud breath. "I know we aren't together, but I'm in trouble, and I didn't know who else to call." He sniffed loudly.

"OK," she said, carefully pushing her own feelings aside. "OK. Tell me what's happened, then." She needed to think of him as any other member of WICS. This was why they had the phones.

"The girl - " he sobbed, softly. "The girl I was with. Her name's Charlie. And - " he sobbed again, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. But, she's pregnant."

It was like someone had poured ice water down Hermione's back. Her hand in Draco's went limp and she nearly dropped her phone. "She's pregnant?" she asked, her voice sounding distant in her own ears. "You're sure?"

"I made her show me the charm," he whined. "I didn't _mean _for this, Hermione. I love you, and - "

"Stop," she said, her voice stern even as tears dripped down her cheeks, leaving little wet stains on her tank top. "Now's not the time for that." Draco scooted closer and he pulled her against him. Her heart thudded dully in her chest and her skin felt tingly all over with shock.

Ron took a deep, loud breath. "What do I do?" he whispered. Hermione was overcome with rage and sadness. She wanted to scream at him, to tear into him, and then hang up the phone for coming to _her, _of all people, with this news. But she was also responsible for him. She'd made herself responsible for all of them when she started WICS, and as much as she needed to let it all out, she knew her responsibility had to win out.

"You need - " her voice broke and she took a steadying breath. "You need to - " she got choked up and closed her eyes tight.

Draco leaned down, his lips close to her other ear, and whispered, "Tell him he needs to go to his mother's. He needs to get clean, and he needs to let his _mother_ tell him what to do. Not you." Hs breath was warm and she nodded.

"You need," she said, her voice a little stronger, "to go to the Burrow and ask Molly to help you. If you're going to have - " she took another breath, "a _baby,_ you need to stop using potions." She bit her lip to keep from crying as the reality of it all finally sunk in. "And I can't be the one to help you anymore."

"Hermione," his voice broke.

"I need to go," she said, her voice steady even as her face crumpled. "Go to the Burrow, Ron. Go to your mother. Please, get help."

There was a long pause, and then he whispered, "Alright."

Hermione hung up without waiting for him to say anything else. She immediately collapsed into Draco, who wrapped both of his strong arms around her, holding her to his chest. She thought she would sob, but instead she just lay against him, trembling, gripping his shirt. His arms around her were firm as he held her to him, rubbing her back.

When they were nearly to the condo, her trembling had ceased, but she was still pressed against his chest. Even though she hadn't cried more than a few tears, her face was red and tense. Draco gently cupped her face, his fingers just behind her ear, and leaned down so she could see his eyes.

"He's not worth your heartache," he said, his jaw set. "

She nodded and he tenderly using his thumb to wipe away a small stray tear that trickled past his hand. When the taxi stopped, Draco handed the driver some money and slipped out, pulling Hermione out by the hand.

Harry and Pansy joined them, and as soon as they saw her face, they knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Hermione took a steadying breath and faced them. Draco stood at her side, not touching her, and she wished that he would. "Ron called." She swallowed. "The girl he was with - Charlie - is pregnant." She licked her lips and waited for some welling of emotion, but all she felt was numb.

"What do you need?" Pansy asked, stepping forward and taking her hand.

"We can go buy gallons of peanut butter ice cream," Draco said as he attempted to lighten the mood.

Hermione laughed without humor and gave him a tight smile. "I don't need ice cream. I think I need to drink," she said with a sigh. "A lot."

* * *

Less than an hour later, the four friends sat at a bar with a tropical bird theme. There were parrots and parakeets and flamingos plastered all over the walls and it was the epitome of an American tourist trap.

The bartended was a young, extremely handsome man with flowery, swirly tattoos trailing down his arms and peeking up from the deep v-neck he wore. He took their drink order - suggesting a pretty, fruity drink for Hermione - and she ordered it and drank it fast.

Beside her, Draco sipped his whiskey, watching her carefully.

"Take it easy, Granger," he said as he sipped his amber liquid. "We have all night."

"I've spent my whole life being cautious," she said as she asked for another drink. "What's this called again?" she asked the bartender, whose name tag said _SAM_.

He winked at her. "Sex on the beach," he said before making her another. Next to her, Draco huffed and threw the rest of his whiskey back.

"Why don't we grab some drinks at a store and take them back to the condo?" Harry asked, glancing worriedly at Hermione.

"Not yet," she said, downing half of the second glass of fruity liquid.

"What's your name?" the bartender asked Hermione as Pansy glared at him from beside Hermione, chewing on a straw, her glass empty.

"Hermione," she said with a smile, her eyes already glassy. "You're," she squinted at his name tag. "Sam, right?"

He nodded and smiled. His eyebrow was pierced and he quirked it at her. "This your boyfriend?" he asked, nodding toward Draco whose fingers were tight around his small, newly filled tumbler of whiskey.

Hermione froze. Even in her nearly-drunk state - she was a lightweight - she knew that if she said no, Sam would think she was free to be hit on, and she did not come here to be hit on, but if she said yes, Draco would feel awkward and she couldn't risk that. Before she could work through the best solution, her brain too fuzzy to think quickly, she felt Draco's arm snake around her waist. He pulled her into him, and his voice was nearly a growl right in her ear when he said, "Of course I am."

Sam the bartender put his hands up as if in surrender. "Just curious." He laughed and refreshed Draco's whiskey. "Where are you all from?"

"London," Pansy said as she dropped the fully-chewed straw on the table. "Here on vacation." She wasn't smiling, and Sam laughed again.

"Your accents are nice," Sam said, zeroing in on Hermione again. He smiled at her and leaned forward on the bar. "Exotic." Draco's arm around her tightened.

"We should probably be getting back," Hermione said, uncomfortable with Sam's attention. She wanted to drink, to forget about her stupid ex, not get hit on by a stranger while drinking too-sweet, too expensive mixed drinks.

Harry put money on the bar, eager to leave. He grabbed Pansy's hand - which made Hermione, in her inebriated state giggle - and dragged her from the bar.

Slower, Draco stood. He put took Hermione's hand and helped her to her wobbly feet. When she stumbled, he slipped his arm around her waist again and glared at the bartender.

"That was strange," Hermione said as they stumbled into the warm night.

"What was?" Draco asked, his voice tight. He'd let go of her waist and was instead steadying her by holding her arm.

"That man was flirting. With _me_." She laughed and tripped. Draco caught her.

"Why would that be strange?" he asked with a sigh.

"People don't flirt with me." She laughed again as the world tilted. She landed against his chest and he put his arms around her.

"You're drunk," he said, laughing lightly and she nodded against his shoulder.

"I am. I want to forget _all _of it. At least for a little while." She sighed. "But I won't. I'll just fall down a lot, and - " she tripped again, and Draco pulled her to his chest. "See? Fall. A lot. And sometimes, I cry." She looked up at him with big eyes. "I hope I don't cry. I'm sick of bloody crying."

"I hope you don't cry, too," he said, his voice gruff as he looked down at her. "Come on, Granger." He moved so that he was holding her around the waist again with one arm. "Let's get you home."

"Thank you," she blurted, stopping to face him, blinking her eyes to clear them.

"For what?" Draco asked, a soft look on his normally neutral face.

"For pretending to be with me. So he'd stop." Her face bloomed crimson when she realized how close she was standing.

Draco smiled and brushed a stray curl from her face. "Anytime, Granger. Now, come on," he hoisted her arm over his shoulder, leaning so she wasn't on her toes, and slipped his hand back around her waist. "Potter and Pansy went to get some drinks at the store - though I'd wager you've had enough. Let's just get you home."

Hermione nodded as the alcoholic buzz started to wear off and the dizziness started to kick in. By the time they were back at the condo, she was groaning as he half-carried her into the house.

* * *

When Harry and Pansy got back, Draco was sitting on the couch with a sleeping Hermione laying across his lap. Her curls were splayed across his legs and he was running his fingers through them, a sad look on his face.

"Where's everyone else?" Harry asked as he started putting beer into the fridge. Pansy had opted for a few bottles of stronger stuff and put it on the counter beside some oranges and a jar of maraschino cherries.

"Out, I guess," Draco half-whispered. "When we got here, she said she couldn't make it up the stairs and asked to lay down." He shrugged. "She fell asleep straight away."

"Maybe you should carry her upstairs," Pansy said, leaning against the counter beside Harry. "Put her to bed."

Draco took a deep breath to steady himself.

"Listen," Harry said, stepping toward them. "I see how you look at her."

Draco's eyes widened and he glanced down at Hermione as if to make sure she was still asleep.

"I think you'd be good for her," Harry said with a shrug, making Pansy smirk. "But you can't rush her." He crossed his arms. "She's as stubborn as they come, and won't see what's right in front of her nose while she's focused on other people. So, just give her time and I think she'll come around."

"She and Weasley _just _broke up - "

"She'd been thinking about ending it for a while," Harry offered. "About a year, maybe? She just couldn't leave him alone, knowing about all his problems."

"But she's been so upset," he said, his hand drifting to brush a strand of hair off her shoulder absently.

"Of course she is," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "They were together for _years._ Even if she wanted to end it, it's still a shock. It's still sad."

Draco sighed.

"Take her upstairs. Tuck her in, and come back down. We have lots of beer," Harry said with a smirk.

"You've been spending too much time with Slytherins, Potter," Draco grumbled and Harry laughed.

Carefully slipping from beneath her head, Draco put his arms under her shoulders and knees and lifted. In her sleep, she turned toward him and buried her face in his shirt.

As he walked up the stairs, he heard Harry say, "Maybe he won't have to wait as long as he thinks," followed by Pansy's laugh. Draco hadn't heard Pansy laugh like that in a long time

In her room, Draco laid Hermione on her bed. He carefully removed her shoes, then pulled the covers back on one side. Lifting her again, he moved her to the sheets. He covered her up, tucking the blankets around her shoulders.

"Draco?" she asked, voice sleepy.

"Hey," he said, standing and taking a step back. "You fell asleep downstairs. I was just making sure you made it to bed."

"Oh." She shifted and propped herself up on one elbow, wincing. He was sure the room was still spinning for her. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. You need to sleep," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. In the moonlight, with her hair falling from its braid, she looked like some kind of lost fae.

"Could you stay a little while?" she asked, looking up at him with her big brown eyes. "I'd rather not be alone."

"Sure," he said without thinking, his mouth suddenly dry. Walking around the bed, he sat on the edge.

"You can come closer. I won't bite," she said. The vulnerable nature of her voice was enough to break him. If he didn't already know how he felt about her - if he hadn't already known for months, years - the sound of her voice in this moment would have done it.

Kicking his shoes off, he lay back on her second pillow, arms behind his head. He made sure to stay above the covers, and he left a respectful distance between them.

"Did you enjoy the ferris wheel?" he asked, hoping to break the silence which was clearly becoming awkward. He'd gotten used to hugging her, to holding her hand, to being close to her, but lying in her bed in the dark was very new territory that had his heart racing and his mind wandering.

"I did," she said, and he heard the smile in her voice. "On the flight home, I may even look out the window."

He laughed softly and adjusted his head where it rested on his joined hands, hoping if he kept them beneath him he wouldn't be tempted to reach out for her. "I'm glad," he said, his voice husky.

He felt her shift on the bed next to him, shift closer, and his racing heart sped up.

"Do you think there's something wrong with me?" she asked after a moment, her voice breaking.

Giving up on his resolve not to touch her, he rolled to face her and reached for her hand. She was backlit by moonlight from the window, but she could see his face, so he tried to do what his father had always told him and school his expression.

"Why would you think that?" he asked as he held her hand, his thumb rubbing gentle circles over the back of it.

"I stayed with Ron for over four years," she said, her voice quiet. She was laying on her side, one arm curled under head like a pillow, mirroring him. "The first year was fine - we were damaged by the war and it helped to be close to someone who understood. But after that - " she took a deep breath. "He started using potions after that, and I knew it, but I stayed. Even when he stopped treating me like anything more than a roommate, I stayed. I told myself WICS could help. You and the others, having friends, would help. But it never did." She scooted marginally closer. She seemed almost completely sober. "And then, when Pansy told me he was cheating on me, my very first thought, or feeling, was that it was somehow _my _fault." Her fingers in his went limp. "I know it's not my fault, and a big part of me is relieved that it's over, but - " he continued his ministrations to her hand. "But I still keep thinking about what I could have done to prevent it."

"There's nothing wrong with you, Granger," he said, wishing he could school his voice as easily as his expression. "You stayed with him, because you're a good person, and because you love him." That admission - that the girl he was so crazy about loved someone else - was painful to say aloud. "And you want to help him now, because you're a good person. But it's not your fault. I know you say you know that, but you need to _know _it."

"I'm really glad you're here," she said into the quiet.

"Me too," he settled on saying, though he really wanted to say so many other things instead. He thought he saw her smile in the dark.

"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" she whispered.

"Sure," he said. She scooted closer again, just a little, and he couldn't help but move toward her a little, too. Just inches apart, they both fell asleep.

* * *

It was much later when he woke up, but it was still dark. He looked over to Pansy's bed and found it empty.

Hermione had rolled away from him in her sleep, and he rubbed his hand over his face. As quietly as he could he slipped from the bed and crept into his room, only to see Pansy, wrapped around Potter, asleep in his bed.

Rather than risk seeing either of them naked - he couldn't tell if their clothes were on or off - he went back to Hermione's room and crawled into Pansy's bed. He looked over at Hermione in the moonlight.

When she'd told him she was glad he was there, he'd wanted to tell her how he felt. He'd wanted to tell her how wonderful she was, how she made him into a better man. But when he told her those things, he wanted her to be happy and sober, not half-drunk and recovering from a broken heart.

Watching her sleep now, her chest rising and falling so lightly, he hoped that his time for telling her how he felt would be soon, because he wasn't sure how much longer he could be this close to her and not at least try to make her his.


	6. 6: The Question

**I've written to the end of this fic, and there are only a few chapters left. I hope you're still enjoying it! And I apologize for not responding individually to comments so far. I'll try to respond to some soon!**

* * *

Hermione woke in the dead of night, gasping for air, drenched in sweat. She reached for Draco, who'd been asleep beside her when she finally dozed off, but he was gone. With frantic eyes, she looked all around, until she found him. He was lying in Pansy's bed asleep. In the moonlight, she could see his face clearly and it helped ground her.

Her heart racing from the dream - she'd been back under Bellatrix's knife, and Ron had been off to the side, yelling that she was garbage, urging Bellatrix on - she crawled from her covers and slipped into Pansy's bed beside him.

He didn't wake up and she felt relieved. She didn't feel so bad about taking advantage of him like this - cuddling into his body to help chase away the last of the nightmare. She was content with that, just feeling his body heat beside her, but then he reached out, still asleep, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He sighed as he buried his nose in her hair.

The feel of his body against hers calmed her racing heart and as she drifted back to sleep, she let herself imagine that this moment was all there was in the world.

* * *

The next morning, Draco woke first. He breathed deeply and curled himself around the body next to him. He knew it was Hermione without even opening his eyes. It took a long moment for that fact - Hermione Granger snuggled against him in bed - to register, and when it did, his eyes popped open. He must have jerked or made some noise, because next to him she began to stir.

He thought back on the night before. He'd fallen asleep with her, but he'd left. He'd moved to Pansy's bed. He'd given her space. He would explain all of that to her when she was awake.

As Hermione woke, she made little noises - sighs really - that had him turning his lower body away from her to avoid an embarrassing encounter. "Hermione?" he said quietly and her movements stopped as she too froze.

"Are you mad?" she asked, then looked up at him from where she was curled in his arms, her sleep-tangled hair falling in her face.

"Why would I be mad?" he asked, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure she'd hear it, or feel it.

"Last night, I had a nightmare." She rolled away from him, but stayed tucked against his side. "It was a horrible, weird combination of that day at the Manor with Bellatrix and Ron screaming things at me."

His stomach clenched at the mention of _that_ day, all those years ago, where Hermione writhed in pain while his aunt carved into her arm. He'd noticed she kept her arm glamoured, but didn't ever say anything to her about it. It was her prerogative.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She shook her head. "When I woke up, you were gone. But I saw you over here and, well, I just needed to feel safe. So I laid down with you and fell asleep. I'm sorry if it was inappropriate." She started to move away and he immediately pulled her close, not ready to lose this feeling of her next to him.

"Of course I'm not mad," he exhaled.

She relaxed and turned back toward him, then laid her cheek on his shoulder. After a moment of hesitation, she draped her arm across his stomach.

He couldn't help the sigh that left his lips as his arm curled more tightly around her. For a few minutes, they both just lay there - warm, safe, and happy. But Draco knew it couldn't last. The others would wake soon. "We should probably get up," he said, though he wanted nothing more than to lay there and hold her all day.

"Thank you," she whispered, looking up at him from his chest with a shy smile.

He looked down at her, his head at an awkward angle, and imagined leaning down just a few inches and brushing his lips against hers. Instead, he smirked and shrugged. "It's hard work, waking up beside a beautiful woman, but I suppose someone has to do it."

She blushed and sat up, as he quickly followed. As he sat, he remembered her initials, branded into his back, and a devilish smirk played on his lips.

"Why don't you go wake Potter, see if he wants to grab breakfast," he suggested with an innocent look.

Hermione looked at him quizzically, then nodded.

He smiled, leaning back on Pansy's bed, and waited. He heard his bedroom door open, followed quickly by a, "Bloody hell!" before the door slammed in her face and a pillow slammed against it around a chorus of laughter from the two brunettes in the next room.

Hermione came back into the room and scowled at him. "You knew they were in there!" she said, exasperated.

He shrugged. "You brand my back, I scar your eyes."

"They were _fully clothed_, so the joke's on you!" she said, chucking a pillow at him from her bed. He caught it and tossed it back.

"I'm sure they won't be for long." He laughed as she threw the pillow back again.

* * *

The next few days were spent on group outings, and as much as she tried, Hermione couldn't get the memory of Draco's body pressed against hers out of her mind. She was able, though, to forgot about Ron - at least until she was forced not to.

When Ginny got a call from Molly a couple of days after Hermione spoke to Ron, Ginny came to Hermione and hugged her tight and cried apologies into her neck. For the first time in days, Hermione cried too - not because of Ron, but because her friend had finally come back. It was a nice change of pace. And when Ron tried to call her later that day, she ignored it. Of course, she asked Harry to call him back to make sure he was OK, which did, but she didn't speak to him, and she didn't ask Harry how he was. He didn't leave a voicemail.

Each day after for that first week in the States, the various couples - because for all intents and purposes, that's what they'd become - broke off into different groups to do different things. Theo and Ginny were nearly inseparable. Neville and Daphne were found together more often than note, casting one another shy glances, and if Blaise and Luna weren't locked in their room, they were on the beach, still locked together.

Only Harry, Pansy, Draco, and Hermione remained unattached. Sort of. True, Hermione more often than not spent her time with Draco, alone, and Pansy and Harry were often seen together as well, but it was different with them. They were a team, the four of them.

Since that night they'd swapped beds, they'd returned to their regular sleeping arrangements. When Hermione asked Pansy what had happened between her and Harry, the dark-haired girl had laughed and said, "We drank too much and fell asleep talking. Where did _you _sleep?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Suddenly uncomfortable and feeling red-faced, Hermione replied with, "You're not the only one who can sleep beside a friend and _nothing _happen." At that, Pansy had deflated some, and they hadn't talked about it again.

It wasn't until the end of the first full week, almost five days after Hermione ended up sleeping beside Draco, that their established routine shifted.

The group of ten, in it's entirety, was crammed into their small living room, which Hermione had magically expanded just a bit to accommodate them. They were leaning on one another, and Hermione was struck but how "coupley" they all looked, herself included. Theo was in an armchair, Ginny across his lap, arms loosely around his neck. Neville and Daphne were sitting, side by side, against a wall, shoulders pressed together. Luna was on the couch, upside down, hair hanging toward the ground while Blaise sat on the floor beside her playing said hair and randomly kissing her cheek. Harry had claimed the other chair, and Pansy was perched, her short shorts showing off her long legs, on the arm of the chair, leaning on Harry's shoulder.

And then there was Hermione herself. Draco was sitting on the couch beside Luna, and Hermione was on the floor, leaning back against his legs as he absently played with a few curls that he'd pulled across his lap. He'd taken to doing that, playing with her curls, and she couldn't say she minded it.

"You want to play _what?_" Hermione asked as Draco twirled a single curl around his finger, then let it go.

"Truth or dare!" Theo exclaimed. He was holding Ginny around the waist. "Don't tell me you've never played."

"That sounds _fun,_" Ginny said, waggling her eyebrows and squeaking when Theo squeezed her with a laugh.

"No, absolutely not!" Hermione said with a laugh. "We're not fourth years! We're adults. Adults don't play truth or dare."

"Come on, Hermione. It'll be like an adventure," Luna said from her upside down perch. She scooted over slightly and laid her head on Blaise's shoulder, her blonde curls falling down his chest.

"Yeah, come _on_, Hermione," Draco said with a chuckle, and she reached back and slapped his leg.

"Everyone in?" Theo asked, sitting up slightly in his excitement.

"Daph and I are out, I think," Neville said softly, offering his hand to the equally soft spoken girl, who blushed. "We'll see you lot later, though. Don't get into too much trouble."

Theo laughed as they left. "Two down, anyone else?" He grinned when no one spoke. "Alright, who's going first?"

"Oh, _me!_" Pansy said with a wicked gleam in her dark eyes. She immediately turned, crossing her legs, and leaning away from Harry. "Draco," she said, smirking at him. "Truth or dare?"

Draco rolled his eyes and picked up another one of Hermione's curls that lay on his legs, wrapping it around another finger. "Truth," he said, eyes squinted at her, his face otherwise neutral.

Pansy's grin widened as she re-crossed her legs, letting her foot land on Harry's thigh. "Have you ever been in love?" she asked, a falsely innocent lilt to her voice, which was ruined by how wicked her smile was.

"Yes," he said slowly, but without pause, and Hermione felt fresh jealousy bloom in her stomach at the thought of him being in love with some random witch. He'd dated Astoria for a long time, as well as Pansy. It could be one of them, but it could also be someone else. Someone she didn't know about. That set her on edge more than anything else.

Hermione was a smart woman - brightest witch of her age, and all - and she wasn't blind to how he looked at her. But that look paled in comparison to being in _love. _Hermione always wasn't ignorant of her own feelings. Ever since she woke up beside him, she realized she could no longer ignore how the blonde Slytherin made her feel. She was falling, hard, and trying to keep herself in check. She'd fallen for another friend once, and it had blown up in her face like one of Seamus's potions.

"Alright, mate," Theo said, sounding every bit the excited kid as he turned to Draco. "Your turn! Who's the victim?"

"Granger," Draco said, his voice low, though she heard the smile in his voice before she saw it. Hermione moved away from his legs to look at him, a scowl on her face, and he laughed. "Truth or dare."

"Dare," she replied bravely, sitting up straight and shaking her hair off her shoulders. She couldn't risk one of her more recent truths getting out. His grin grew and a pit formed in her stomach.

"I dare you," he leaned forward and her breath caught in her throat, "to quit playing this stupid game and take a walk on the beach with me." He held out his hand.

She laughed in relief as she took it and he pulled her up to her feet.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Theo said. Ginny laughed. Pansy smirked. And Luna just kept smiling in her upside down seat, her hand absently carding through Blaise's hair beside her so soothingly he looked like he might fall asleep.

"Dare accepted," Hermione said with a smile. "But before I leave," she turned, hand still in his, and faced Harry. "Harry, truth or dare. And if you pick truth, I'll kick you in the bollocks."

He laughed, looking more like himself in his glasses again. "Dare, then," he said, his green eyes bright.

Hermione smiled. "I dare you to kiss Pansy for no less than 30 seconds. And make it _good._"

Harry's eyes opened wide and Pansy laughed. "You heard the woman," Pansy said, and Hermione giggled as Draco tugged her away from the game and out into the cool night air.

"That was _less_ than subtle," he told her as they walked out into the moonlight. He hadn't relinquished her hand, and she hadn't tried to pull away.

"My subtleness was getting me nowhere. It's _clear_ they like each other," she said with a huff. "They spend all their free time together. They have inside jokes. They're practically _inseparable_. I was feeling impatient."

"You know," he said after clearing his throat, "the same could be said about us."

Hermione's heart skittered in her chest like a frightened mouse. "I suppose it could," she said, grateful for the moonlight, as it hid her suddenly burning cheeks.

"Think our friends assume we're together like that?" His voice was unnaturally high and Hermione felt her breath catch. She didn't think she was imagining the hope in his voice. She was learning his tells, like she'd learned Harry's. He was nervous.

"Maybe." She shrugged and he tightened his hold on her fingers, as if she might pull away. "Does that bother you? If they think that?" she asked, biting down hard on her lip after she said it.

The moon was full, and the sound of the waves was lulling as they slowly walked along the firm sand.

"Of course not," he said, sounding a little more like himself - his voice lower, more relaxed. "What about you?"

"No," she answered quickly, then laughed and tucked hair behind her ear. She'd taken to wearing it down, because of how often Draco played with her curls when they were all sitting and talking. "Not at all."

They'd reached a part of the beach with no condos, less than a mile from where they were staying. There was driftwood scattered along the shore, and the moonlight reflected off the water with bright white light. Draco led Hermione to a large piece of driftwood that sat high off the ground, pulled her to a seat beside him, and turned to face her.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked after a moment as his thumb ran over the back of her knuckles. She loved the way his slightly calloused fingers felt against her skin and she shivered.

"You can ask me anything," she said, swallowing back her sudden nervousness.

"What do you think of me?" His thumb kept brushing over her knuckles, and in the moonlight, he almost looked sad.

"What sort of question is that?" she asked, confused.

"Just, if you can, please answer it." He sighed. "I want to know what kind of person, what kind of man, _you_ think I am." He shrugged. "Your opinion is important to me."

"Well," she said, pausing to think, giving this question the attention she thought it deserved. "You're kind. Even when you want people to think you're this tough, gruff guy, you're kind. And what makes that so much more extraordinary is that you weren't always kind, but now you choose to be." She squeezed his fingers when he gave a small, sad smile. "You're brilliant, and funny, and fiercely protective of your friends. You've become one of my _best _friends," she said, biting her lip again. "And - " she stopped as her cheeks heated with what she was about to say.

"And?" he asked, an almost sad smirk on his face.

"Well, not that it's as important as the rest of it, but, you're also quite handsome." She pressed her lips together.

At this, he smirked for real. "You think I'm handsome, Granger?" She nodded and he winked at her, reminding her of both Pansy and Theo. She thought it must be a Slytherin thing.

"You can also be a real prat sometimes," she said, and he laughed, all traces of sadness gone from his face, which made her smile.

"That's fair." He looked up at her, his blonde hair falling in his eyes. "Want to know what I think about you?"

"OK," she said, her voice barely a whisper, her heart ricocheting off her ribs. The moon was full and the waves were soft and Hermione couldn't help but think that this whole scene was like something out of a movie. She pushed that from her head, lest she get any ideas that might leave her disappointed later.

"You're selfless," he said as he took her hand more fully in his, wrapping his fingers around her palm. "You go out of your way, all the time, for the people you love, and the people you think need it, even when it's hurtful to you. You're brilliant, and only a _little _arrogant about it."

"Hey!" she said, lightly kicking his leg, and he laughed, a quiet, rich sound that sent tingles down her spine.

"You're funny. You're sweet. You're terrifying, when you want to be." He smirked. "And you're the best person in my life."

Her breath caught at the sincerity in his voice and she looked up. The look in his eyes - both heated and afraid - was what let her suddenly realize that maybe all those little things she'd noticed hadn't been in her head. Maybe there was the possibility that this strangely caring man, who'd cared for her through the last week, saw her and _wanted_ her. The thought was both thrilling and terrifying.

"You forgot the last bit," she said, stunned by her own bravery, and needing to hear him say something else. "I did say you were handsome, after all." Her voice was low as she gazed at him from under her eyelashes.

He leaned forward slightly and she felt his breath brush her cheek. "And you're so beautiful," he whispered. With his free hand, he reached up and wrapped a curl around his finger just next to her face. "So bloody beautiful."

Her breaths were short as she watched him, only inches away. She'd been single for only a week. Seven days. And yet, it felt like so much longer. It had been well over a year since she'd been physically intimate with Ron, and longer than that since she'd felt close to him in any sort of emotional way. A splash of fear - that going down this road with Draco risked their friendship - hit her, but she brushed it away.

"Thank you," she said, biting her lip.

Draco freed his hand from her hair and his fingers barely touched her jaw. He watched her eyes as if waiting for her to pull away, and when she didn't, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.

In the history of first kisses, this one wasn't that different than most. His lips touched her for barely a moment, a light press of skin to skin, a moment of shared breath, and then it was done. And yet, after, they both just stared, fingers trembling, hearts racing.

"Is it OK that I did that?" he asked, his face inches from hers, his voice too high pitched again.

"Yes," she breathed, then laughed. "To be honest, I've wanted to do that all week."

He chuckled and leaned back, lacing his fingers with hers. "I've wanted to do that for three years."

Hermione's smile fell and she ducked her head, suddenly anxious.

"Listen," he said, taking a deep breath. "I didn't tell you that to pressure you, and I definitely didn't tell you to freak you out. I just - " he rubbed his fingers through hers where they were laced together, a repetitive motion that calmed her. "I just _like_ you," he said, sounding every bit the part of a vulnerable boy. "But your friendship is more important to me than I can even put into words. I couldn't not tell you, not after we've gotten so close this week, but I also don't expect anything from you." He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. "I really, _really_ like you, Granger. And I hope that doesn't ruin whatever we are."

She stared at her feet for a long time thinking, and when she finally looked up to meet his eyes, she'd made a decision for herself. It felt inevitable, really.

"I need to go slowly," she said, chewing the inside of her lip. "I - I like you, too, Draco. A lot," she breathed with a small laugh. "So much it scares me." She smiled and scooted a little closer to him on the driftwood, worrying her lip between her teeth. He seemed to relax as she gripped his hand, and she smiled as she moved close enough to lay her head on his shoulder. "This week, I've discovered I quite like being close to you." She smiled against his shoulder. "And even though I'm not ready to jump right back into...into a _relationship_ just yet, I'm also not willing to let _this_ go. Does that make me selfish?"

He laughed, a relieved sound, and she felt it vibrate in his chest. "Completely," he said, and she smiled again into his chest. "I like you being selfish, personally, as it seems to work out well for me."

"So, what do we do now?" she asked as she surrounded his much larger hand with both of hers, enjoying the juxtaposition of his smooth palms and calloused fingers. It felt good to touch him without that underlying sense of guilt she'd felt all week. It was a relief to touch him and know that he wanted her to.

"For starters, we get ice cream," he said without hesitation. "Come on, there's a shop down the street. It's barely 10, so they'll be open for another hour."

"Ice cream?" she asked, smiling as she hopped off the piece of driftwood and let him lead her, his fingers woven with hers.

"Three years ago, you took me out for ice cream. You bought me mint chocolate chip, because it was, and I quote, _happy ice cream. A_nd told me that you were my friend, and that I was stuck with you, and with WICS, no matter what. It was the first moment I really _saw _you. So now, I'm going to return the favor, only this time, it's going to be a date." His voice was self assured, but his eyes gave him away - he was afraid she would say no.

Hermione smiled and stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. "You're full of surprises," she said with a soft smile.

Wearing his trademark smirk, he winked at her. "You have no idea."

* * *

They sat in Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream until it closed at 11 PM. Hermione ordered mint chocolate chip, and Draco ordered strawberry, saying it was _his _happy flavor.

On their walk home, Hermione stopped and pulled out her phone. Ron had tried to contact her a few more times over the last week, but she'd ignored his messages. Seeing his name didn't give her butterflies anymore. Still, she was relieved to see no new messages this time. "Take a picture with me?" she asked, and he smiled.

Moving to stand behind her, and making sure they had enough light from the street lamps, he wrapped his hands around her waist and laid his chin on her shoulder. Using the front facing camera, she held the phone up and smiled before clicking the button.

"One more," he said, and she nodded, holding the camera up again. This time, just before she clicked the button, he turned his head and pressed his lips to her cheek, earning an even bigger smile from his date.

She laughed as she texted the photos to him, realizing belatedly that Pansy had never sent her the photo of the group she'd taken on their first day, or the photos of Hermione and Draco at the lighthouse. She'd have to remember to ask her for them. She wanted to remember everything she could about this trip.

When they got back to the house, it was dark. The light was on under a few doors, but no one was out in the living area. With silent steps, Draco walked Hermione up the stairs. He stopped in front of her door.

"I'm glad you're here with me," she said, looking up at him in the nearly dark hallway. "I'm glad it's you."

He smiled and stepped toward her. "May I kiss you goodnight?" he asked, his voice gruff. "I know you want to go slowly, and I respect that fully, but - "

She cut him off by snaking her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. His hand found its way to her hair and she melted against him, breathing in his cologne. And when she pulled back, he was smiling.

"I don't want to say goodnight yet," Hermione whispered, leaning against his chest. His arms surrounded her and she sighed.

"Me either," he said.

Suddenly, the door to Draco's room opened, and a very frazzled Pansy popped her head out. "I wasn't eavesdropping," she said, then snorted. "OK, I was, but I just thought you both should know that I'll be in here tonight, and it would be _extremely_ awkward if anyone were to come in. So. Goodnight!" she said brightly as the door clicked shut behind her.

Hermione looked up at Draco, shocked, then laughed and buried her face in his chest as she did so.

"I'll take the couch," Draco said with a smile, and Hermione snorted, looking back up at him.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said, and his brows creased.

"You _just _said you wanted to move slowly with this, - "

"And I do, but we've slept in the same bed before. And...and it's not as if we haven't touched one another all week." He looked at her sheepishly. "Now that we're _whatever _we are, I think it would be silly to miss out on the comfort we offer each other and - " she blushed violently, "and whatever else."

Draco's eyes narrowed as he gave her a lopsided smile. "I haven't any pajamas," he said.

A moment later, his bedroom door opened again and Harry stepped out - hair wild, wearing nothing but boxers and a smile. He tossed a pair of pajama pants and a tee shirt at the blonde. "Be good, kids!" he said before shutting the door again.

"Do you get the feeling they planned this somehow?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed toward the door.

"Oh, I have no doubt," he said, rolling his eyes. "I've known Pansy basically my whole life, and I'll never quite understand how her mind works."

Hermione opened the door to her room and walked in, waiting for him to follow. When she looked back, he stared at her, conflicted. "Granger, are you sure about this? I can sleep on the couch, or on Pansy's bed."

Hermione took his hand and pulled him into the bedroom, latching the door behind him. "I want to move slowly," she said, putting her hands on his chest. "But I also want you to know that, just because I don't want to rush, doesn't mean I'm not _sure _about how I feel about _you__._" She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Will you please sleep beside me?" she said, her voice quiet and vulnerable.

He groaned and dropped his pajamas to the floor in order to wrap his arms around her waist. "You're going to be the death of me," he said as he held her, his face in her hair.

She laughed and let her arms fall around his neck. "I'll take that as a yes."


	7. 7: The Revelations

**Thanks for all your support, everyone! We're in the homestretch - just a couple chapters after this one. This chapter is a little short, so I'll be updating again later this evening!**

* * *

That night, Draco changed clothes in the bathroom to give Hermione a semblance of privacy, and when he came back, Hermione was sitting up in her bed, her eyes wide, chewing on her lip nervously. She was in her typical tank top and cotton pants, and she looked so innocent he could barely stand it.

"I really don't mind sleeping in Pansy's bed," he said as he pushed his hair back off his forehead.

"Well, I mind," she said, pulling her knees to her chest. He sat beside her and took her hand. She squeezed his fingers and he sighed.

"Something's bothering you," he said, stroking her thumb with his. "You can tell me."

"All week, I've felt guilty for how good you've made me feel." She looked up at him, her face hidden in shadow. "Technically, Ron and I were still together just over a week ago, and now, I'm going through each day, wondering when you'll touch my hand again, or put your arm over my shoulders, or play with my hair." She scooted closer to him, as if to prove her point. "I should be in mourning, or something, you know? But I'm not. And even though that makes me feel guilty, I can't stop _wanting_ to touch you, and talk to you, and laugh with you all the time." She sighed. "I just feel like, because I'm so happy, that I've done something wrong."

Draco reached forward and brushed hair off her cheek and cupped her face in his large palm. "I don't want to make you feel sad," he said, his thumb stroking her jaw. "But I'd be lying if I said I wanted to stop touching you."

She smiled and leaned into his hand. "I shouldn't feel guilty, should I?" she asked, her voice vulnerable, almost begging.

"I'm not the best person to ask, I don't think," he said with a sigh. "Seeing as how all I want to do is hold you. But, if it were, say, Pansy asking me this, or someone else, I think I would tell them the only reason they'd have to feel guilty is if they weren't _sure _they were over the other guy." His voice was gruff, but his hand on her face was soft. "It's OK if you're not, you know," he said even as his heart ached. "I'm in this for the long haul, and if that means waiting, I will. I won't stop being your friend. I won't stop giving you what you need."

"I am over him," she said, her quiet voice sure. "I was over him before we ended, I just wasn't willing to admit it."

"Then, if that's the case," he breathed, "you have no reason to feel guilty."

She took a deep breath and let go of his hand and he felt a spike of panic. But then she pushed the covers down with her feet and laid down, rolling to her side and holding her arm out for him. He wasted no time, slipping beneath the covers, and pulling her toward him, her cheek to his chest.

"So," she said, adjusting against him to get even closer. "You've wanted to kiss me for three years, huh? All because I yelled at you over ice cream?"

He chuckled and rubbed the skin of her arm, making her shiver. "It was more like, after that night, you were this person that was in my brain all the time. If I went to a bar, I could hear your voice in my ear, asking if I was doing this to have fun or to drink myself into oblivion and forget all the shit from my past. If I tried to talk myself out of going to a WICS meeting, I could just see you shaking your head, and telling me I was being a ridiculous prat. I don't know when it shifted from a mild obsession to wanting to kiss you, but the more I heard you in my head, the more I wanted to hear you outside of it."

"I remember when you started coming around more," she said, her hand resting lightly on his chest. "It was a few weeks _after_ I yelled at you. Harry invited us all to Grimmauld Place for a movie night, and you showed up with Theo."

"You remember that?" he asked, smiling in the dark. He felt her nod against his chest.

"I remember thinking that it was a great first step, seeing you with everyone else. And I remember thinking that your scowl didn't look as scowly as usual."

"Scowly?" he asked with a laugh.

"It seemed more forced, I guess. Like you were trying to put on a front. I watched you that night, to make sure you fit in OK." She smiled at the memory. "You started coming around more regularly after that. It was nice." She played with the fabric of his tee shirt, enjoying how his cologne-smell was still there, but more subtle now that it was the end of the date. "Now that I know what I know, I hate that we never got to spend time together, just us, back then."

"At least we get to now," he said and kissed her hair.

"The other day, you said you tried to come by once. About a book." She left out that he'd also told her that Ron had threatened him, and he didn't dare bring it up again. "What book was it?" she asked, her voice light and playful.

"It was when that author you love - Amelie Auctoria - had that new book about dragons come out. They hadn't mentioned the release date, to try and up their pre-sales I think, and I heard that they were going to have a pop up release the following week in Diagon."

"They did," she said, smiling broadly leaning up to look at him. "I got a note about it a few days before, from the publisher I think, at work. I was one of the first people in line."

He smiled and brushed some hair off her face. "I sent the note, Granger. In case that wasn't obvious. I wish I could have seen your face when you got it."

"Why didn't you sign it? Let me know it was you? I thought it was a publicity stunt based on bookstore patrons or something." She was scowling, brows furrowed, and it was adorable.

"I didn't want to make him mad, if I'm being honest." He pulled her back down to his chest and let his hand get lost in the ends of her curls. "I wanted to see your face, to see how happy it made you, but mostly I just wanted you to have the experience. We'd only been friends a few weeks, and already I knew that you did too much for the rest of us without getting anything back. Making him mad would have just ruined it for you."

She was quiet for a long minute, and he worried he'd upset her somehow, but then she moved against him, crawling up his side so that her eyes were level with his.

"I'm going to kiss you now," she said, her voice quiet. He didn't have time to respond as she tentatively brushed her lips against his - somewhere between the intensity of their first, gentle kiss, and their second more intense kiss outside this room. Her lips on his were soft, and he wanted to deepen the kiss, but he also wanted to keep his promise and not rush, so it surprised him when he felt her tongue barely touch the seem of his lips as if asking for permission. He opened his mouth and she moved, kissing him more deeply, moving so that half of her body was lying on his. It set every part of him on fire.

His arms went around her, sure to keep his hands on top of her clothes, as her hands went into his hair, her nails raking his scalp, making him groan. Holding her, he rolled, caging her with his arms as he held himself up while laying above her body. Holding himself up kept his hands busy so he wasn't tempted to let them stray.

Her fingers trailed from his hair to his shoulders to his chest and he felt his resolve to take this slow waver. With every bit of willpower he had, he gradually slowed their kiss and rolled off of her, pulling her back to his chest. His heart was racing, and his chest was heaving, and he was happy to note that Hermione seemed to be in a similar state.

"Slow, right?" he asked, the desire to kiss her again unbearably strong as her chest heaved against his.

"Right," she said, though she didn't seem convinced.

"Tomorrow," he said, still catching his breath, "how do we navigate this? Around everyone else?"

Hermione turned her cheek into his chest and took a deep, calming breath through his nose. They should probably try to hide it, to protect this fledgling whatever-it-was from others' comments. But the thought of that - of trying to pretend that a huge door hadn't been opened between them - made her feel sick.

"If you're OK with it," she said with another deep breath, "I just want to keep being us. I don't want to pretend about any of it."

"I'm OK with it," he said, softly. "So, if I wanted to hold your hand - " he picked up her hand and laced his fingers with hers, "in front of everyone, I could?"

She nodded and smiled into his chest.

"What if I wanted to put my arm around your waist?" he asked as his other arm slipped around her waist, pulling her shirt down so his hand didn't slip beneath it by accident. "Or whisper something in your ear?" he asked, leaning so that his lips almost against her neck.

She laughed, and nodded again, feeling those same butterflies wild in her stomach. "I think all of those things would be just fine."

"I can live with that," he whispered again and he felt her shiver.

"We should get some rest," she said, her voice husky.

"Goodnight, then, Granger. See you in the morning." He leaned down and pressed his lips to her hair and her eyes drifted closed.

"Goodnight," she whispered, letting his warmth and the scent of him carry her off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke first. Draco was curled around her, his hair in his eyes, and she found all she wanted to do was brush it back. She hadn't been able to before, but now, she did, and the freedom of it was exhilarating.

She needed to run to the loo before he woke, so she gently extricated herself from his grasp and sprinted down the hall to the bathroom. Before she could shut the door, Pansy darted in, hair even wilder from sleep than usual.

"So?" she asked with a yawn. "What happened?" With her usual Pansy confidence, she hopped onto the counter, legs swinging, and smiled.

"You first," Hermione countered with raised eyebrows, filling her toothbrush with toothpaste before brushing vigorously.

"Potter and I shagged like bunnies, and it was amazing," she deadpanned. "Your turn."

Hermione's eyes were wide as she spat her toothpaste out and stared at her friend. "Are you being serious?" Pansy nodded and Hermione's eyes grew wider. "That was fast," she said, an awkward smile on her face.

"Not really," Pansy replied, staring at her cuticles as if she were bored. "We've been dating for weeks."

"I'm sorry, what?" Hermione asked, tossing her toothbrush down. "You said after he hit Ron - "

"After he hit Ron, I got all riled up. He was so attractive being the hulking hero. But we've been dating for _weeks._" She smiled innocently. "Did I not tell you?"

"You bint! Why am I only now finding out?" Hermione was smiling so broadly her face hurt.

"Well, at first, it was because Ron was such an arse and you were stuck with him. Felt like rubbing in how happy we were. And then, it was because I needed a way to push you and Draco together, and I _know you, _and knew you wouldn't be able to resist playing matchmaker, which meant we'd be in all sort of situations where _I _could play matchmaker for _you._" She picked up some mouthwash and gargled it, then smiled and licked her teeth. "Worked like a bloody charm."

"Draco and I did _not _shag last night!" Hermione hissed, her cheeks heating.

"Obviously. But you did sleep together, didn't you?"

Hermione nodded. "In the same bed, yes. But _fully clothed._"

"And before that, you kissed. And I'm guessing had some sort of grand moment where you professed your feelings for each other. Correct?" She wiped her mouth on a hand towel.

Hermione nodded again, wrinkling her nose.

"Like I said, worked like a bloody charm."

"How did you know?" Hermione asked, sitting on the edge of the tub, facing her. "That we both the way we do? About each other?" Hermione bit her lip.

Pansy pulled her phone from the pocket of her fuzzy pajama pants and opened the screen. "Here, I'll send these to you later, but look. Look at his face." Pansy handed Hermione her phone with the photo from the lighthouse pulled up. Hermione was laughing, and Draco was holding her around the waist, smiling, and blushing furiously.

"Yes, but this was _after _I started trying to get you and Harry to notice each other," Hermione pointed out. "Which means this was after you put your _brilliant plan _into action."

"Scroll back a few," she said. "To that first morning on the beach. The picture I took of all of us."

Hermione did. She zoomed into where she and Draco sat, and her mouth went dry. She was looking at the camera, smiling, but she was biting her lip, her cheeks red - clear signs to anyone who knew her that she was nervous. And Draco wasn't looking at the camera, or the sunrise, at all. He was looking right at her. What had he said that morning? Pansy had been taking the photos, and Draco had muttered _beautiful _in her ear. Her stomach flipped. He'd been talking about her, openly, even then.

She tossed Pansy's phone back and made for the door, and Pansy stopped her. "Are you OK?" she asked. Hermione glanced in the mirror and saw the intense look on her own face.

"I just realized something, and - " she smirked at the Slytherin girl. "And I need to get back to the beautiful man in my bed before he wakes up and thinks I've disappeared on him."

Pansy squealed and clapped her hands as Hermione raced down the hall.

When she was back in her room, she slipped quietly back into bed beside Draco. Feeling her movements, he stirred, his arms finding her and pulling her close as he sighed, half-asleep.

"Draco," she said, spinning to face him. His eyes were closed, but he peeked one open to see her.

"Hmm?" he asked, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. Just that simple brush of his lips against her skin sent the resident butterflies in her gut into a tizzy.

"We can move a little less slow, if you want." His eyes popped open at that, and she laughed into his chest. "If you're OK with that," she finished.

He responded by growling and rolling on top of her, fully awake and caging her in with his arms. "As I said last night, you, Hermione Granger, are going to be the death of me," he said for the second time, just before she sat forward and captured his lips in a kiss.


	8. 8: The Trip Home

**Only one chapter after this! Unless I decide to add an epilogue, too. Thanks for sticking with it!**

* * *

When Hermione and Draco left her room, smiling from ear to ear, fingers tangled together, no one said a word. Pansy smiled and nudged Draco at breakfast, and Harry gave Hermione a bright smile, but no one else said a word. It wasn't as if their behavior was that differed than it had been before, but to them it felt like everything had changed.

It was over coffee at their kitchen island that following morning that Hermione spilled the beans about Pansy and Harry's secret relationship to Draco.

"Weeks?" Draco asked as he sipped the coffee Hermione had made for him. In the States, they'd all become accustomed to drinking the rich black liquid instead of tea. "How many weeks?" He was staring at Pansy with a scowl.

"Let's see. It's July, right?" She put her forefinger on her chin as she pretended to think. Beside her, Harry just laughed and slipped his arm around her waist and pinched her side, earning a screech and a scowl from his inky haired girlfriend.

"Valentine's Day," he said, and she elbowed him.

"What?" Hermione asked, coming of her stool. "You said _weeks!_ Not months, Pansy!"

"Months are made up of weeks," Pansy said with a shrug.

"So, it's serious, then?" Draco asked, a smirk on his face. "That means I have to have a _talk_ with you, Potter. You're dating what essentially amounts to my sister, and I need to make sure you're a good sort."

Harry shoved his glasses up on his nose. "It seems we're in the same boat then, as Hermione's like _my _sister," he said, looking over his glasses at the blonde in an impression of McGonnagall that would do her proud.

"Fair enough," Draco said, slipping his arm over Hermione shoulders.

As what Harry had said, and Draco had tacitly agreed to, sunk in, Hermione blushed. The implication was that Draco was serious about her. About them. They'd agreed to take it slow, and she expected to feel scared, or angry, or something, but she did. Her cheeks had heated, sure, but that was it. She took a slow breath and smirked at Pansy.

"Boys are idiots," Hermione deadpanned as she sipped her coffee, and Pansy laughed.

* * *

The last week of their vacation flew by. By the end of that second week, Hermione was beginning to regret asking Draco to take things slowly. She still knew it was best, obviously - the last thing she wanted to do was treat what they were like a poorly thought out vacation rebound - but it was so hard to be close to him, and have to hold back.

Now that Harry and Pansy were out in the open, they slept in Harry's bed every night. Hermione felt stupid for not seeing it before, and said as much to Draco. When she'd asked Pansy to go and get Harry, the night she found out about Ron's infidelity, it didn't strike her as odd that Pansy had known exactly where to go. All she'd noticed was that Draco had come with him, which was odd in and of itself. When Pansy had mentioned Ginny with someone else, Harry hadn't even flinched, which wasn't like him at all. Even if he and Ginny were through, he'd always been protective. But then again, he hadn't dated since her, either. All the pieces were there - the glances, the touches, how comfortable they were with one another, how Harry had dragged Pansy from the bar when Sam the bartender had been flirting. She should have seen it.

But, that was neither here nor there. Them being public meant that Draco needed somewhere new to sleep, as he couldn't stay in a room with them. So, he slept in Hermione's room, and she insisted that he slept beside her - though nearly every night, he offered to give her space with a pained expression on his face. And every night, she laughed and pulled him close, then fell asleep wrapped in his arms and in his scent. She'd never slept so well. As the nights went on, Hermione felt a tiny spot of panic bloom in her chest. They would be home soon, and she knew that the lovely dynamic they'd created would have to change, somehow.

On their last night in the condo, the house was quiet. Theo and Ginny had gone out. Blaise and Luna were, yet again, locked in their room. Daphne and Neville were cuddled on the couch, watching a movie, and Harry and Pansy had slipped away for a late night swim.

Draco and Hermione were sitting at the kitchen bar, playing a lackluster game of War with the cards Draco had packed, when his fidgeting hands and sad sighs got the point that Hermione couldn't stand them anymore.

"Come on," she said, grabbing his hand. "We need to talk."

He ducked his head, cards abandoned on the counter, and let her lead him up the stairs toward their shared room. He seemed surprised when she continued on out onto their balcony. From there, they could see Harry and Pansy laughing in the water below. Before she asked him what was on his mind, she let herself focus on her two friends, so happy and carefree. She remembered their first day, Draco tossing her in the waves, rubbing sun screen into one another's skin, and took a deep breath.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, releasing his hand. He sighed and moved away from her to sit in one of the metal chairs. She sat in the other, hating that they were on opposite ends of the balcony, as there was one for each bedroom. The moon was half-full, so there was plenty of light, but Hermione couldn't read his expression in the half-dark.

"You've been weird all day. Sighing, fidgeting, distant. Please tell me what's going on?" She asked softly, trying to fight the fear that he'd changed his mind about them. It made her nervous to be so wrapped up in him after only a few weeks. She was independent. Strong. But still, she didn't want to think of what it would be like if he'd changed his mind about them already.

He pushed both hands through his hair and looked up at her, his eyes wide in the moonlight. "We go home tomorrow," he said with a nod. "Back to England. Back to real life."

"Yes," she said, refusing to jump to any conclusions and instead let him speak. "Does that bother you?" She folded her hands in her lap so he wouldn't see her start to fidget, too. Below them, Pansy shrieked and Harry laughed as he threw her into the waves.

"It worries me," he said, slowly. He sighed and stared at her from across the balcony. "In England, things are different."

"What do you mean?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. She'd been in blissful denial about just how different it was going to be with them back home.

"For starters, I won't get to see you every day - "

"Says who?" she asked, her heart beating dully in her chest. This felt like a break up and it terrified her.

"Says jobs and responsibilities and life," he said, pushing his hair back again. "Your ex- is there, and - " he swallowed hard, "and I'm afraid." That admission alone was monumental.

"Of what?" Her voice was quieter than the sound of the waves below, but he heard her.

"That we'll get back, and you'll realize that I was a fun distraction, but your life - even though it's hard - is with him. Or, even if it's not with him, just without me." He ran his hands through his hair again. "I've meant what I said this whole time - your friendship is the most important thing to me, and if we get back, and you decide that's what you want, to just be friends, I can do it." He stared at her across the balcony. "But it's not what I _want_," he finished, his voice breaking.

"It's not what I want, either." She stood and walked to him, sitting across his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck so he had to look at her. "Why would you think it is?"

He sighed and his arms slipped around her waist. He laid his head on her sternum and closed his eyes. "I don't think it's what you want now, but I'm afraid you'll change your mind once we're back." He snuggled closer and placed a chaste kiss to her shirt-covered sternum.

"I won't," she said, running her fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm him. "I know I won't."

"You can't know that," he said, his tight fingers on her waist loosening. "You can't know how you'll feel when see him. And while I would love for you to be able to promise me that seeing him won't make you feel differently, I can't ask you to do that. Because you're the sort of person who would want to keep that promise, even you changed your mind after we got there." He closed his eyes and loosened his grip on her waist, his hands falling to the tops of her hips and barely holding on.

"I know how I feel right _now_," she said, holding his neck tighter.

He sighed. "You wanted to go slow, and you were right to," he said, his heart racing. "When we get back, I think you should take some time to - " he paused and she felt his fingers spasm on her hips. "To figure out what you want. After you're there and can really think things through without distractions."

Hermione felt a surge of panic, but pressed it down. She let his words play in her head. She looked past her feelings to the wisdom of what he was saying. He wanted her to choose him, but only after she'd had time to think, time away from vacation, back in the real world.

"Alright," she said softly after a long moment. "But, that's when we get home. Can we stay like we are right now until we're back on English soil?" She tightened her grip on his neck, her fingers slipping into his hair. "Please."

His hands slowly made their way back up to her waist where he held her gently, as if she might break, or vanish. "Yes," he said. "Of course we can."

She hated how sad his voice sounded, as if he'd already resigned himself to the worst outcome. She pulled back and looked down at him in the moonlight.

Four years ago, she'd looked at him across a battlefield and seen an enemy. Three years ago, she'd looked at him across two cups of ice cream and seen someone broken who she wanted to save. For three years after that, she looked at him across their friends, across living rooms and kitchens and cafes, and saw a friend who, despite all those years of animosity, was a pretty great guy. Two weeks ago, he'd held her in her flat as she fell apart and she'd seen someone who wanted to save _her_ from something he had no responsibility for. And in the days following that night, she'd looked at him from the safe enclosure of his arms, from across a bed, from high in the air of a ferris wheel, across sand and through ocean waves, and had seen someone she wanted to hold, to share secrets with, to love.

Now, she looked down at him in the moonlight, and all she saw was Draco - afraid and beautiful in the moonlight - and it broke her heart in a beautiful way.

"Let's go for a walk." She stood and pulled him up.

He followed without comment. They left the house, hand in hand, and walked along the shoreline in the opposite direction of Harry and Pansy, still splashing in the waves. It was quiet, aside from the crashing of the waves, and she let the ocean breeze clear her mind.

Hermione was nothing if not well informed. If she were going to make a decision about her future with Draco, she needed to know him better, and while she felt she knew him quite well, there were some things she didn't know at all.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked him out of the blue, stepping closer and holding onto his forearm as she laced their fingers tighter together.

He screwed up his face in thought for a moment. "If you tell anyone, I'll be very upset," he said, a playful edge to his voice. She nodded and he smirked. "Red."

She laughed lightly. "How very Gryffindor of you."

He rolled his eyes. "Go on then, what about you?"

"I hate to disappoint, but blue."

"Like your Yule dress?" he asked, and her eyes popped wide. "Oh, don't act so surprised. Even back then I couldn't _not _notice you in that dress. I wish I could say that was the moment I realized how wonderful you were, but I can't. It was that moment that I realized you were beautiful, though. It really made Pansy cross with me." He laughed. "But, back to the question, blue like that?"

Pleasantly flustered, she squeezed his arm tighter. "No. A darker blue. More like - like the sky just before the sun rises."

"Ice cream," he said, earning a strange look from her as they continued to walk along the sandy beach. "You eat mint when you're happy, and peanut butter when you're sad. Have you any other ice cream moods?" he asked with a smile. He was gathering data, too, and it made her stomach flutter.

"Of course!" she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "When I'm stressed, I like chocolate with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce. And when I'm angry, I like coffee flavored ice cream. That should be obvious."

"Nothing about ice cream flavors specific to particular moods is _obvious_, Granger," he said, and she swatted his arm lightly. "Only you could find a logical way to eat frozen dairy." His warm tone of voice washed over her.

"I suppose you just eat whatever flavor is available to you, regardless of how you feel?" she asked, hand over her heart in mock astonishment.

"I used to," he said, pulling his arm from her grasp to slip it over her shoulders, tucking her against his side. "But a certain swotty little Gryffindor has been a terrible influence these last few years."

She blushed and leaned her cheek against the spot where his shoulder met his chest.

"Strawberry when I'm happy," he kissed her curls. "Vanilla when I'm sad, because there's nothing more depressing than plain vanilla. And chocolate when I'm stressed, so we have that in common."

She laughed and leaned into him more. "Nothing with more pizzazz?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I'm a man of simple tastes, Granger," he said and kissed her hair.

For the next few hours, they walked and talked, stopping to dip their toes in the tide and rest here and there.

When the first gentle rays of sunlight started to creep over the horizon, and the sky was that deep blue that Hermione loved so much, they found themselves back in the spot they'd been their first day here. Draco pulled Hermione down to the sand and held her tightly as if she might fly away.

"Did Pansy ever show you the photos she took?" she asked, pulling her phone from her pocket. "Of our first day and the lighthouse?"

He shook his head and tightened his arm across her shoulders. She clicked open her screen and opened her photos. She'd created a special folder for this vacation - a folder with beautiful ocean views and candids of their friends. She clicked the photo of them in front of the lighthouse. Draco's cheeks were tinged pink and he was holding her around the waist, the biggest smile on her face.

"You look beautiful," he said, snuggling closer to her.

"I look _happy_," she corrected with a smile. She then scrolled over to the group photo, and just like she had when Pansy showed it to her, she zoomed in on the two of them.

"Yes, I know, I look like a lovesick puppy," he said in a self deprecating way and a half-hearted laugh.

"Look at me, though," she said. Part of her needed to know if he could read her like she could read him.

"You look - " he leaned forward and squinted. "Nervous?" he asked, looking back at her. She nodded and his face screwed up in confusion. "Why were you nervous?"

"That was right after we talked about how you had tried to be my friend. Remember? Knowing that you'd wanted to be my friend, had tried to see me - not in a group or at a meeting, but just me - made me nervous." She smiled at him and leaned into his shoulder. "You made me nervous even before I really realized why."

"I didn't meant to," he said, and she laughed.

"I know you're worried about what will happen when we get back, but - "

"Can we not? Please?" He sighed and dragged her over his leg so that she was sitting in the sand between his legs. He wedged his chin in the crook of her shoulder. "Tonight, let's just be, OK?"

"This morning, you mean," she said, nodding toward the horizon where the sun was truly peeking above the small waves now, casting everything in a warm glow.

"This morning, then," he said, his voice gruff. She felt him shift his weight as he pulled his phone out, holding it out in front of them. "I want to remember this," he said into her ear, and she smiled. Hermione leaned her head against his, pulling his free arm around her waist. She heard the phone's shutter click and then, as he went to take another, she turned and pressed her lips to his cheek, just beside his mouth. She felt his lips quirk up and smiled with him.

Once the sun had fully risen, Hermione stood and offered Draco her hand. "We should get back and pack," she said. "Our flight leaves in a few hours."

"Let's go, then," he said, his expression forlorn.

* * *

Back at the house, they packed their things in minutes, thanks to magic. As a whole group, they picked up the house and made beds and when they were done, it was as if they'd never been there at all.

"Are we leaving already?" Blaise asked as he emerged, for the last time, from his and Luna's bedroom. "We've barely explored at all."

"You've _explored _plenty, mate," Theo said. Beside him Ginny elbowed him in the gut and he pulled her to him and kissed the side of her neck. "I'd say, overall, this has been a _very _productive trip for everyone."

"It's nice," Luna said in her airy way, tucking herself against Blaise's side. "We came alone and left with in pairs that were _just right_."

"Odd how that worked out, isn't it?" Neville asked while holding Daphne's hand. She was smiling in her soft way.

"Think things will change when we get back?" Daphne asked, and Theo scoffed.

"Only if we let them, Daph." His expression softened as he glanced over at Ginny where she couldn't see. "I suppose we all owe Granger another thank you," he said, and she looked at him startled.

"Me? Whatever for? I just tagged along on the trip you lot planned," she reminded him. Draco was standing beside her, his fingers loosely in hers.

"Look around, Granger," Theo said, motioning to the five pairs. "I see four couples made up of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, and another with a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw. Did you ever, in your wildest dreams, imagine such a thing? We were split, on separate sides because of that bloody war, and look at us now. And it's all thanks to you and WICS."

She looked around the room at each pair. Pansy was sitting on Harry's lap, arms around his neck, and she nodded at her friend. "He's right," Pansy said. "I'd never have given _The Chosen One _here the time of day without talking to him at WICS."

"And think about how awful your life would have been if you hadn't!" Harry said.

Pansy smiled - really smiled. "Truly awful," she agreed, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"We should go," Ginny said with a sigh as she looked around their house. "Our flight leaves in two hours."

They walked away from the house as they'd walked toward it, with Draco and Hermione bringing up the rear. Hermione and Draco stopped, hand in hand, to look at it for a moment as the others walked away.

"Until we're back on English soil, nothing's going to change, right?" Hermione asked as tears welled up in her eyes. She turned to him. "You said - "

He stopped her by leaning down and kissing her softly, his fingers going into her hair, his breath mixing with hers.

"Sometimes," he said, his breath brushing past her lips just before he placed another soft kiss there, "you talk too much, Granger."

She laughed and poked him in the chest.

"We should catch up with the others," he said, stepping away and offering her his hand. She took it, their palms pressed together, and walked away.

* * *

The plane ride back was tense to say the least. Hermione was so nervous, she barely noticed take off. They tried to play cards, but it lacked the lightheartedness it had on their trip to Charleston. Finally, when Draco's mood wouldn't lift and her nerves wouldn't settle, Hermione suggested they watch the in flight movie. He lifted the arm rest and she cuddled into his chest. They each got a pair of earbuds and watched without really watching the romantic comedy that scrolled across the screen.

"Here," he said, after it was over and the earbuds had been retired, trade seats with me. He stood and scooted out, and Hermione took his seat. Once Draco was seated again, he pointed to the window. She looked out at the clouds - fluffy and white, looking more like a painting than anything real - and smiled as she felt him lean his chin on her shoulder. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked in her ear.

She turned toward him, her nose brushing his pale cheek. "It really is."

They were on a plane full of strangers and their friends, but as Hermione leaned back to stare into his eyes, all she could see was him. As they looked at one another, Hermione felt something shift in her chest.

In all the years she'd been with Ron, she'd never felt this. She'd been young and emotionally traumatized, but even after that trauma healed some, she'd never felt this - this connection, this welling of emotion that made her toes want to curl in her shoes. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she couldn't. He wanted her to wait, wanted her to see how she felt once she was home, and because she respected him, she would.

Unable to voice the words she wanted to voice, she leaned forward instead and kissed him. She stopped for a moment and discreetly used her want to cast a notice-me-not charm.

"Our friends will think - "

"I don't care what they think," she breathed before pulling him back to her, diving into their kiss without restraint. She pulled back abruptly. "Is this OK?" she asked, her voice breaking.

He just groaned and kissed her again, his fingers getting lost in her hair.

They didn't move past kissing, just as they hadn't all week, and when they both finally slowed, Hermione felt a wave of sadness crash over her. His kiss at the end had felt like a kiss goodbye. It made her heart ache.

"We should get some sleep," he said as he brushed her hair off her face. "We were up all night. Trade me seats again and you can rest on me."

She stood and traded, but when she sat down, she faced him with a frown. "I don't want to sleep," she said, even as he pulled her to him and she laid her cheek against his chest, inhaling his scent. "We'll be back in a few hours and everything will change." She snuggled into his side and gripped his tee shirt in her fingers.

"Still need to rest," he said, his voice gruff.

He was right. She he was exhausted from their all night walk, and even though she didn't want to sleep - she'd rather enjoy these last few hours, just him and her - she felt herself drifting away as his fingers carded gently through her tangled curls.

"I'm glad you're here with me," Hermione said against his shirt as she drifted away.

She heard him murmur against her ear, "Me too, Granger. Me too," just before she fell asleep.


	9. 9: The Flower Garden

**Last chapter, everyone, but keep an eye out for the epilogue. Hope you enjoy! If you do, drop me a line! I'd love to hear from you!**

* * *

Hermione woke with a cramp in her neck as Draco gently shook her.

"We're going to land soon," Draco said as she peeled herself off of him.

"I drooled on your shirt again," she said, touching the tiny wet spot, and he laughed softly.

"Wouldn't be right if you didn't." His eyes were sad as he looked at her, and though she wanted to reach out and touch his face, she wasn't sure, now that they were almost back to England, that she should.

She felt tears threaten to fill her eyes as her heart started to race.

"Granger," he said, pulling her to him again, his own heart beating hard. "It's going to be OK."

"I know," she said, though it was clear she didn't believe her own words.

The pilot announced their descent, and knowing how much she hated that part of the flight, Draco put his arm around her to steady her. She tried to memorize the weight of his arm on her shoulders and the subtle scent of his cologne. As the plane descended and the wheels bounced lightly on the tarmac, their arms around one another tightened the smallest it.

When it was time to disembark, Draco got her carry-on down for her, but rather than carry it himself, he handed it to her. And while she didn't need, or even really _want_, him to carry her bag, it signified a shift that she'd been dreading. She felt the rift between them growing and it made her breathless.

They walked behind the rest of the passengers, through the gates, and toward baggage claim. They were back on British soil. Their relationship, whatever it was, was on pause.

Just before they were past the final gates, where they would all separate and head toward their homes, Hermione stopped as if her feet were stuck to the tile. The others kept walking, all except Draco.

"Hermione?" he asked, looking back, his face a mask - though now, after looking at him closely for so many hours, she could see through it, could see his sadness that he hid behind his neutral expression.

She felt the words she wanted to say trying to burst forth - that she didn't need time, or want it, that she just wanted to keep moving forward with him to see where it was headed - but instead of letting them out and breaking her promise to him, she did something else. She dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his shirt. She couldn't kiss him, as friends didn't kiss, but she could hug him. He only hesitated half a beat before caging her in with his arms, his grip tight.

"Just take some time, OK? Time to think," he said into her hair, and fearing her voice would betray her, she only nodded.

When he pulled way, Draco started to brush her hair back, and his hand paused halfway to her face. His face fell before he plastered a neutral expression on his face.

"When can we talk again?" she asked, wishing he would touch her cheek, or take her hand, or wrap a curl around his finger.

"How about a week from now," he suggested, his voice gruff.

"A week," she agreed, and then, throwing caution to the wind, she stepped up onto her toes and kissed his cheek, relishing in the way he leaned into her lips. His skin was warm, and when she pulled away, her lips grew cold.

They walked toward the main gate, not touching, but only inches apart. To Hermione, it felt like a miles-wide chasm.

Just outside the gate, their friends were gathered nearby in a knot. Pansy looked back at them, her eyes wide, and opened her mouth to say something. Before could, she was shoved aside and Ron pushed past her, his hair a mess, his eyes wild.

Hermione gasped as her heart leapt into her throat. She went to grab for Draco's hand, but grabbed only air. She turned and saw him walking in the other direction, his shoulders tense and his head down.

She needed to go after him, to make him see that whether Ron was here or not, it didn't matter, because all she cared about was that Draco was OK and that he would let her hold his hand and talk to him late in the night. She didn't need a week. She took her first step, in the direction he'd gone, when a group of nearby Muggles jumped at the clear sound of apparition from around the corner. He wasn't stupid, he'd have disillusioned himself first, but it didn't change the fact that he was gone.

"'Mione," Ron said, approaching her quickly, and she shoved out both hands against his chest before he could touch her. "Hermione," he said again, his expression falling. "I've missed you."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice watery as she thought about Draco, off somewhere alone after seeing Ron here.

"You were gone for weeks," he said, pushing his hair back in a way that reminded her of Draco. It made her heart hurt.

"Yes. I was. Because you were shagging some girl who's now pregnant with your child while we were together." Her voice was cold and when he inched closer, she stepped back.

"Oh, that!" he said, a smile stretching across his haggard-looking face. "It wasn't true. She's not pregnant. Isn't that great?" He took another step and she stepped back, making it obvious. Her eyes darted behind him, looking for help.

Behind Ron, her friends - sans Draco - were watching the exchange. Ginny was looking at her feet, her cheeks red, as Theo gently rubbed her upper arm in a calming way, all while he scowled at the back of Ron's head. Neville, Daphne, Blaise, and Luna all just looked awkward, unsure of how to help. But it was the matching expressions of fury on Harry and Pansy's faces that really gave her the courage to say what she needed to say.

"Honestly, Ronald? I couldn't care less." She sighed and rubbed her eyes, then adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "You cheated on me. Whether she's pregnant or not, whether you're with her or not, you and I - " she motioned between them, "are finished."

His face fell and she sighed again. Even a month ago, that would have been something that made her want to comfort him - his big blue eyes reminding her of a puppy's - but not now. Not after she'd experienced what it was like for someone to put _her_ needs first, to care about what _she_ needed more than what they needed. It was a freeing feeling.

"Can't we talk?" he asked, stepping forward, and she held up her hands again again, refusing to step back another step.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "There's nothing to say. The apartment is mine, so I'll need you to get your things out. I can stay with Pansy until you're done."

"'Mione - " his voice broke, but her resolve stayed firm. His hands were shaking. He was going to need a fix soon.

"Come on, mate," Harry said, gripping his arm a little more tightly than necessary. "She's said what she needs to. Let's get your things to the Burrow and maybe get you somewhere to find some help."

"Goddammit, she has to listen to me!" he said, wrenching him arm away and stepping back, only to be stopped by Pansy Parkinson's fist connecting with his nose.

Harry looked at her and smirked. "You punched him in the face," he said, and she just shrugged.

"Wanted to see what all the fuss was about." Then, she turned to Ron, lying on the floor, holding his nose. "You need to get _help, _Weasley. Hermione's moved on. _Let her. _And listen to Potter. He knows a thing or two." She smirked at her boyfriend as he chuckled and pulled Ron to his feet.

"Come on, Ron," he said, a little softer this time. "I've got you, mate."

Ron looked at Hermione one last time, but she wasn't watching him. Instead, she was looking to her right, toward the direction Draco had gone just minutes before, her expression broken and filled with longing.

* * *

When Harry and Ron had gotten all of his things and moved them to the Burrow, Harry called Pansy. It had been almost six hours. Hermione caught a glimpse of Harry's photo on Pansy's phone as it rang - his hair tousled, his glasses askew, caught in the middle of a laugh - and even in the midst of her own sadness, she was glad for her friends.

"His stuff is out. He won't be back," Pansy said, hanging up her phone. "Harry temporarily changed your wards so he can't get back in." She and Hermione had been sitting at her counter, drinking coffee - Pansy had brought a coffee pot back with her - when Harry called, and Hermione's fingers had an iron grip on her mug.

"I told Draco I'd wait a week," she said, holding her phone in one hand and her coffee in the other. "To think things through." She sipped her coffee.

"Do you need a week?" Pansy asked, taking a long drink of her own coffee. "To think about what you want, do you need seven whole days?"

"No," Hermione said, her voice catching. "I agreed, because it seemed to be so important to him for me to talk to Ron, to see how I felt, but as soon as I saw Ron today, Pans - the moment I saw him - I knew. How could I be with Ron again after knowing what it's like with Draco? I was with Ron for four years, and he knew next to _nothing_ about me. But Draco - after Ron called and told me about his girlfriend's pregnancy, do you remember what he said? He offered me peanut butter ice cream." She sat her coffee down. "Peanut butter, Pansy!" She had tears in her eyes, but Pansy seemed unaffected.

"So, he knows you," Pansy shrugged, suddenly very nonchalant. "Is that enough to make a decision on? He wanted you to take time for a reason."

"No, but - " Hermione huffed, then stood and started to pace, "but there's so much _more_ than that. He's kind. And funny. And the way he makes me feel - "

"How does he make you feel?" Pansy asked, her excited tone of voice betraying her calm, almost bored, expression.

Hermione stopped and looked at her, sitting at the bar, sipping coffee, and took a deep breath. "I think I'm falling in love with him, Pansy." Her voice was small, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were true.

"You think?" Pansy asked, fighting a grin.

"I know," Hermione said, eyes bright. "I have to tell him."

"Then why are you talking to me? Call him! Right now!" Finally, Pansy's excitement showed on her face - her pale skin flushing with excitement.

"Oh!" Hermione said, fumbling her phone. She opened her screen, clicked her FAVORITES, and clicked Draco's name, surrounded by stars. It went straight to voicemail. She tried again, and not a single ring. "His phone's off," she said. "He doesn't want to hear from me."

"Then let's go to his house," Pansy said, slipping on her shoes.

"I've never been - "

"I'll take you." Pansy offered Hermione her hand, and she took it without hesitating.

After a squeezing, twisting, disorienting moment, they were standing outside of a large apartment building near the end of Diagon Alley. Hermione had assumed he'd moved back to the Manor, or bought a similar home with the Malfoy fortune. She'd never thought to ask. Seeing that his apartment was only marginally

"He's in 2-B," she said, pushing Hermione toward the door. "Works like a Muggle buzzer. Just click the button and he should answer." Pansy was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

With a racing heart, Hermione clicked the button, and waited. No answer. She clicked it again, and nothing. After the third click, a disembodied, canned voice said, "I apologize, but Mr. Malfoy is not in residence. He can be expected back on July 26th. Thank you. _Cheers._"

"He's not here," Hermione said, walked back to Pansy. "It says he's gone for a week." She felt her heart plummet. "He wanted me to take a week to think, and when he saw Ron at the airport - " she choked on her words. "He's gone, Pansy."

Pansy took her arm. "Harry's your best friend, right?" Her face was stern.

"Yes, but I don't see how - " Pansy shook her arm.

"Well, Draco's mine. If he's not here, I think I know where he might be."

Hermione's expression brightened.

"But if I take you there, you have to _promise _me that you're in this for real." Pansy gripped Hermione's arm. "Can you promise me that, Hermione?"

"Yes," she said, standing up straight. "I promise. Just, please, take me to him."

Pansy smiled - that elusive smile that Hermione still didn't understand the meaning of - and said, "Let's go get your guy."

* * *

Hermione felt dizzy from back-to-back side-alongs, but when her eyes cleared she was surprised to find herself in the middle of a large flower garden. Pansy took off walking, moving through the plants as if she'd been here a thousand times.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked, her voice swallowed by foliage.

"Draco bought this land after the war." Pansy's voice was soft. "When he was little, Narcissa had a flower garden that he loved to play in. We spent so many afternoons hiding in her flowers. He used to hide there, alone, in it when Lucius was angry, after I stopped coming over as much." She cleared her throat. "When Narcissa died, he came and planted all this as a sort of memorial, i think. He only comes here when he needs to get away. To escape."

Hermione's heart broke at the thought of a small, Draco Malfoy, hiding in his mother's flowers in fear. She followed Pansy through the flowers, following a path she never would have seen on her own.

After a moment, Pansy stopped. "Draco, are you here?" she called out, and Hermione was shocked to find a small cabin - covered in a wall of vining plants covered in beautiful purple, white, and pink clematis flowers - hidden in the rest of the greenery.

"Go away," he said from inside and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. It had been barely half a day, but it felt like so much longer.

Pansy motioned her forward and waved, then apparated away with a loud crack. Hermione's heart was in her throat she stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"I said, go away, Pansy!" He wrenched the door open and stopped short when he saw Hermione standing there instead. His angry expression fell and was replaced with a confused one. "Hermione, what are you - "

She didn't wait. She stepped up to him and kissed him, letting her fingers barely brush his jaw as her lips pressed against his. When she pulled back he was still standing, staring at her as if she were a ghost. His cheeks were pink.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pushing his hair off his forehead. His bags were behind him, still packed, and his lips tasted like vanilla.

"I'm done thinking. I didn't need a week," she said, lifting her chin. "May I come in?"

He stepped back and opened the door wide, his expression hopeful and confused. Hermione walked in, surprised that the cabin was just as it seemed - a one-room building, with wooden walls, a small cot, and a window on every wall with flowers peeking in.

"What are you doing here?" he asked again, his voice husky. On the small table beside the cot sat a large bowl with half-melted vanilla ice cream.

"I went to your flat, first, but you weren't there, so Pansy brought me here." She turned to face him, finally, and held back her urge to go wrap herself around him.

"But why are you _here_?" he asked, his hands clenched at his sides. "We agreed, a week - "

"And like I said, I don't need a week." She sniffed and straightened her spine. It was possible he'd changed his mind, but she had to take the chance that he hadn't.

"Weasley was at the airport," he stated, swallowing heavily. "I saw your face."

"And you ran," she said, her voice soft, taking the sting out of her words. "If you'd stayed, you would have seen me tell him that's it's over. For good." She smirked. "And you would have seen Pansy punch him in the face."

"You told him it was over? In person?" His voice was so hopeful that she took a step toward him, unable to stop herself.

"And Pansy punched him," she said again.

"That doesn't surprise me at all," he said, taking a step toward her, "but you telling Weasley, in person, in front of all our friends, that you were done, _does._"

It was like being punched in the gut. He had no faith in her, in the way she felt about him. Her face fell, and he seemed to realize his mistake.

"You were with him for so long," he said, his voice softer. "I just never imagined that I - " he took a deep breath. "I wanted you to take some time, so you'd know for sure that you wanted to leave him, not just because of me, but because you were better off in general. I don't want to be a...a bandaid." He winced.

Hermione looked at him and put her hands on her hips.

"I told him I was through, not because of you - you arrogant prat - but because he hurt me. Over and over again, he hurt me, and I had finally been given the space to see that I was better _without _him." She took a step toward him. The cabin was small, and they were only a few feet apart. "I came looking for you, not because I was free from him and needed a warm body for comfort, but because I wanted to see you. I missed you, even after just a few hours. And...and I needed to tell you how I felt about you."

His eyes shot to hers and his hands were clasped at his sides. "And how do you feel about me?" he asked, his body rigid.

For the second time in less than an hour, Hermione felt the words that would change her world tumbling from her mouth. "Draco Malfoy, I think I'm falling in love with you."

He stared at her, his mouth opening slightly, and then he was on her.

His arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her as his mouth crashed against hers. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as he held her, hands beneath her bum, their kiss more intense than anything they'd experienced so far. She pressed her body to his and gripped his hair as he claimed her mouth. When she tugged his hair, he growled into her mouth and together, they fell back onto the cot, which was softer than she'd expected it to be. He trailed kisses down her neck and she arched her back, her nerves alight with sensation. His hands gripped her sides as she slid hers up his chest. Everywhere his hands trailed burned and made her want to melt.

But, all too soon, his touches and kisses slowed. She groaned and he laughed as he kissed her pulse point before scooting up and lie beside her, brushing her hair off her forehead.

"I just thought you should know," he said, kissing her jaw, "that the feeling is mutual, Granger."

She stared at him before a laugh bubbled up. She laughed and pulled him to her, and he started to laugh too. They laughed together, holding one another, kissing here and there, for a long while.

"So, does this mean I get to tell people that you're my girlfriend?" he asked after it was quiet for a few moments.

She leaned up on her elbow, looking down at him with a smirk. "If you didn't, I'd be quite angry, and I hear that when I'm angry, I can be quite terrifying."

"Angry enough for coffee ice cream?" he asked, his eyebrows raised, and she giggled.

"Angrier."

"In that case," he said, standing and offering her his hand. "We should go."

"Where?" she asked, her lips quirking up in a smile.

"To get happy ice cream, obviously," he deadpanned.

Hermione grinned and stood, but captured his lips again. "There's nothing else you'd rather be doing?" she asked, kissing him again, and he sighed against her mouth.

"Granger, there are a whole host of other things I'd rather do with you," he said, kissing her slowly, "but we agreed to take it slow, and even though we're back, and we're _together_ \- " he grinned so big, it was contagious, "I tend to stick to that promise." He kissed her neck before leading her from the small cabin, melting vanilla ice cream bowl forgotten.

"And why is that?" she asked, biting her lip as his fingers slipped against hers with pleasing friction.

"Because," he said, turning to her with a small half-smile, "I'm in this with you, Hermione. Not for a few weeks. Not for a few months. I'm in it for real, and if that works out in my favor, then I want to be able to tell our children how I wooed their mother with mint chocolate chip and walks on the beach, instead of telling them how I shagged her into the bed the moment I had the opportunity."

Her face heated and she bit her lip harder, making him kiss her with a sigh. "Although, when you bite your lip like that, it makes it really difficult for a bloke to keep hold of his integrity."

She laughed and let her lip pop free. "But that second bit," she said, lacing her fingers tightly with his, "about shagging me into the bed - " her cheeks grew bright red. "That's coming, too, yeah?"

He laughed and brought their joined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. "Just try and stop me, Granger. Just try."

"I wouldn't dare," she said.

He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply as he apparated them away, and she didn't notice the pressing, twisting, nauseating feeling as they landed with a pop in front of Fortescue's. He kept kissing her until people in the street started to murmur, and when he pulled back, she grinned, and stood on her toes to kiss him again.

"Oi!" Hermione finally pulled away, her cheeks red, a smile across her face, as Harry called from the doorway to the ice cream shop. "Pansy said you all might be along," he said with a smile, motioning inside.

Sure enough, all of their friends were there, cups and cones in hand, watching them through the large windows. Pansy smirked and waggled her fingers in greeting.

With a laugh, Hermione took Draco's hand and led him in. At the counter, Draco ordered a cup of mint chocolate chip for her, and a cup strawberry for himself. When he requested whipped cream and sprinkles on top, Hermione laughed.

"So," Theo said, leaning back in a booth, drinking a milkshake with one hand while the other held Ginny's. "When are we going on another vacation? Because that first one worked out splendidly, and I'm already growing quite bored with London."

They laughed as they started to playfully plan another trip to various parts of the world. Neville and Daphne thought a trip to California to see the Redwoods would be fun, while Blaise and Luna suggested something involving cabins in mountains with snow and hot chocolate. The whole time the others threw out ideas, Hermione looked around at their group, her smile so broad it ached.

After the war, they'd all been broken. Even their friendships had taken a hit. She'd started WICS for exactly this. To give damaged child soldiers from both sides a chance to heal. And now, here they were - at least some of them - joined together, eating ice cream, and loving one another. It was more than she ever imagined. She watched Harry kiss Pansy's cheek, and watched the ever-confident Pansy Parkinson blush with a shy smile and take his hand where no one could see. This was what they'd fought for - before the war, and after - and it was _everything._

"Everything alright there Granger?" Draco asked, a bit of strawberry ice cream on the corner of his mouth. She wiped it with the tip of her finger and kissed the spot where it had been.

"Everything's perfect," she said with a smile as she leaned against his shoulder, his arm slipping around her waist as if it had been there, always.


	10. 10: The Epilogue

**Epilogue. For those of you craving something with lemon, I hope this additional chapter satisfies that for you! It's not all lemony, though, so don't let that put you off if it's not your thing. But if you're under 18, peace out!**

* * *

_April : Nine Months Later _

"Wait. You're not serious," Pansy said as she took a healthy bite of the lemon meringue pie Hermione had brought over. "It's been - "

"Nine months," Hermione said with a huff. She grabbed Pansy's fork and took a bite of her pie, even after saying she wasn't going to have any.

"And you all still haven't - " she waved her hand vaguely in the air before grabbing her fork back.

"We've done other things," Hermione said defensively, her cheeks heating. "We've just never...you know."

"Shagged," Pansy deadpanned.

"Well, yes." Hermione sighed. "I think it's just been built up too much, you know? When we started, things were so hectic with all that rubbish with Ron, and - "

"I heard he's doing well," Pansy cut in, finishing off the pie and sitting back with a satisfied smile. "Harry said he's out of rehab and seems to be on the straight and narrow."

"That's great," Hermione said with a tight smile. Nine months and she'd yet to speak to him since that day in the airport, and she didn't plan on changing that anytime soon, though she did truly hope he was getting better. "But, back to what I was saying. I think when Draco and I decided to take it slow, it sort of stunted us."

"Does he not excite you anymore?" Pansy asked with a smirk and that elusive look of hers, which Hermione had finally figured out meant that the Slytherin girl had her own agenda.

"Of course he does. That's kind of the problem." Hermione huffed. "When we're together, I just _want _him, you know? When he kisses me, and touches me, or even just _looks _at me, it's like - "

"Like you're flying," Pansy said, a soft smile on her face for just a moment. It was replaced quickly with a smirk and a shrug. "I know the feeling."

"Exactly. But every time we get close, he slows us down. And it's not that I'm not, you know, _satisfied_ with what we do, it's just - " she sighed and dropped her head onto the counter. "I'm just tired of waiting."

"Did you know, _traditionally_, purebloods don't have sex at all before they're married," Pansy said as she stood to get a glass of water from the tap. "And while I know, yes, Draco has had sex before, and he knows that you have, my guess is that he hasn't tried to go that far with you yet, because he doesn't see you as some girl he wants to shag - "

"Thanks a lot," Hermione said, lifting her head, an irate look on her face.

Pansy rolled her eyes. "_Instead,_ he sees you as a woman he wants to spend his _life _with. Which means that he's trying to do things the proper, pureblooded way. Waiting and courting and all that rubbish."

Hermione's face heated. "You didn't wait. Does that mean you don't want to spend your life with Harry?" she asked, trying to take the focus off of her for just a moment.

Pansy laughed. "I'm not like most purebloods, Herms."

"I really hate that nickname, you know," she said, folding her arms.

"Which is why I use it." Pansy smiled and hugged Hermione tight. "He loves you. Like, _really _loves you. If this is bothering you, talk about it with him."

"I will. But not tonight," she said. "He's been planning a date for us - the nine month anniversary of our return to England and subsequently the official beginning of our relationship - for weeks. Why the nine month mark is important, I'm not sure, but he's _so _excited. I refuse to ruin that with talk of this." She smiled. "Has he always been such a softy when it comes to such sentimental things?"

Pansy shrugged. "When we were kids, he used to get irate when I would try to change up games we'd been playing since we were in nappies. But when we dated, he didn't really act sentimental about anything. Then again, we dated because our parents wanted us to marry, and it was the fastest way to get them off our backs." She rolled her eyes. "It was amazing how easy it was to fool them by holding hands at Hogwarts and making googly eyes at one another over holidays."

"It's still weird to think of you two together," Hermione said with a grimace.

"Remember what you and Harry were like in fourth year? How you felt about him?" Pansy asked, one eyebrow quirked.

Hermione nodded, eyes squinted.

"Imagine _dating_ him." At the disgusted look on Hermione's face, Pansy laughed. "We kissed a few times, just to see if we could possibly make things work that way if we had to, but there was never anything behind it. And when he saw _you_ at the Yule Ball, well, I knew he and I would never be anything more than friends. Not that I was disappointed." She shrugged.

"He said you were quite upset that night." Hermione smirked.

"Of course I was!" Pansy chuckled. "My date, my future-_betrothed_, was ogling some other witch in front of all of our pureblood, aristocratic, dumbass friends."

"I love you, Pans," Hermione said, hugging the taller, thinner girl. "Sorry I stole your beau. Now, you have to help me get ready for this date. Draco's so excited, and I want to look my best, and you know I'm rubbish at that."

"You really are," Pansy said with a grin. "Come on, let's go shopping."

* * *

After three hours of shopping, dressing, and some makeup and hair, Hermione stared into the mirror and nodded in satisfaction. She would never be a great beauty like Pansy, but tonight she looked nice. Lovely, even. When Harry had stopped by to pick Pansy up, even he had stopped and taken an appreciative look - earning an elbow in the ribs from Pansy.

Pansy talked her into buying a knee-length dress with capped sleeves that cinched at her ribs and flowed out over her hips gently. What sold her on it was the color - periwinkle blue, just like her Yule dress had been. Draco had said that was when he first noticed her. If he could be sentimental, so could she. She wore her hair down in loose curls, mostly so he'd play with it as he was apt to do. Her makeup was light, and she wore strappy gold sandals that were comfortable, but pretty.

When he knocked on her apartment door at half-past seven, her stomach did a little flip. She checked her reflection once more, satisfied he would approve that she was dressed for a special occasion.

She opened the door and his broad smile fell as he took in her appearance, immediately replaced with a look that could more accurately be described as awe. When she saw his Muggle suit - charcoal grey, tailored to fit his slim build, with a lovely, midnight blue tie - she knew she'd dressed appropriately. She'd tried to talk Pansy into more casual, summer dresses, and was glad the Slytherin girl hadn't let her.

"You look - " he stepped up to her and kissed her softly, and she was glad she'd decided against lipstick. "You look perfect."

She smiled up at him and absently straightened his tie. "So do you," she said, and he kissed her again. "So, where are we going?"

"I have a few things planned for us. It's a big night," he said with a wink.

"Nine months is a pretty big deal," she said, closing the door to her flat behind her with a smile, missing his the smirk he tried to hide.

"Let's not waste another moment, then." He took her hand and with a twist, they apparated.

* * *

They started with dinner at an Italian restaurant that only just opened. Hermione had wanted to try it, because they boasted only a paid staff - even the house elves earned a fair wage. The food was delicious, and Draco had her laughing and smiling for the entirety of the meal, earning more than a few disgruntled looks from other patrons. Not that he seemed to notice. He held her hand and kissed her cheek and whispered things in her ear that made her blush furiously, and when they left, more than a few people watched them leave with a mixture of jealousy and appreciation.

After dinner, Draco took her to Fortescue's. They were regulars at this point, and he walked straight to the counter and ordered, "a happy Hermione and a happy Draco, please." Florean just smiled and made their cups, adding whipped cream and sprinkles to both. They spent their time there, sharing bites of their individual flavors, reminiscing about the past nine months.

After they'd returned home from the beach, McGonnagal contacted Hermione and asked if members of WICS would be willing to come speak at Hogwarts about overcoming house division and bonding. All ten of their beach group agreed and all wore their old house colors. The students had all gasped and giggled at the various inter-house couples holding hands before they each got up to speak. What shocked the students even more was how the famous Harry Potter stood, glued to his Slytherin girlfriend's side, and how the infamous Draco Malfoy tenderly watched the most famous Muggleborn in the world as she spoke about overcoming obstacles and giving everyone a second chance.

After the speech, and the welcome feast - which all the graduated students enjoyed immensely - McGonnagal had given them rooms to stay in for the night. She had shaken each of their hands, pausing over both Harry's and Hermione's with whispered words of congratulations to each of them. As the others went to their rooms, Hermione and Draco had snuck off to the Black Lake, stripped down to their underwear, and gone for a nighttime swim.

Hermione laughed as her cheeks heated with the memory. His lips trailing down her throat as his smooth, wet skin pressed against hers, he way he'd held her in the water, her legs around his waist, all was burned into her memory. It was the first time she'd thought he would take things farther, and he'd slowed them back down, leaving her wanting.

They talked about the first time he brought her flowers on a whim - daisies - and how she'd nearly cried, because never once had anyone gotten her flowers _just because_. They talked about their first real fight, which had been quite a doozy.

About a month after they started dating, Draco's ex-girlfriend, Astoria, had shown up at his flat. Hermione had been in the other room, and when she rounded the corner to see who was at the door, Astoria had thrown herself at Draco, kissing him deeply, hands digging into his hair. Startled, Draco had caught her and in his shocked state had taken half a moment too long to push her away. Hermione had panicked and apparated away immediately.

"I'm sorry I was so stubborn that night," Hermione said, her ice cream gone, as she played with his fingers across the table. He'd come to her apartment straight away and banged on the door, begging for her to listen to him. She'd ignored him for nearly and hour, but he hadn't given up until she let him in. He'd explained everything, and had even gone so far as to share the memory with her, so she would see what happened before she walked in and after she left.

"If I'd been in your shoes, I would have done the same thing," he reassured her as he took the last bite of his strawberry ice cream.

"It was just - " she sighed, the memory of Astoria pressed against him was still burned in her brain, even though she knew it had been nothing. "Seeing her kissing you brought up all these insecurities, from Ron, that I didn't know I had."

"I know," he said, flipping their hands so he was gripping her fingers. "But _now _you know that there's no witch, no person on the planet, that could take me away from you. Right?"

"I do know that," she said, a smirk on her lips. Not only had he shown her that for nearly every day for nine months, but because Draco had discovered that his father had paid Astoria, from his cell in Azkaban, to go and split up Draco and his Muggleborn girlfriend. The day after that discovery, Draco visited his father in Azkaban and had a long, in depth talk about what was acceptable, seeing as Draco was now in control of the Manor and all its assets. He hadn't bothered them since.

"Come on," Draco said, taking her hand and standing. "Enough of that sort of talk. We need to be happy and finish our date."

Hermione smiled and let him lead her from the ice cream parlor. "We've had dinner and ice cream and I've laughed so much I think my ribs may be sore tomorrow," Hermione said with a laugh as she tucked herself against his side. "What else could you possibly have planned?"

"Nine months in, and you _still_ underestimate me, Granger." He shook his head in false disappointment.

She poked his side with the tip of her finger. "It keeps life interesting," she said with a shrug, and he laughed, big and loud. It was one of her favorite things about him - a sound he reserved only for those he trusted and loved.

They were walking down Diagon Alley, hand in hand, when Draco stopped. There was a fountain in the middle of town - erected after the war - that sprayed water straight into the air and was lit from below, causing every droplet to sparkle.

"Take a picture with me?" he asked. She smiled and nodded. Since the beach, they'd taken many photos together - alone, and with friends - with the mutual understanding that they wanted to remember _everything._

Hermione pulled her phone from her pocket and handed it to him, as he had longer arms. Opening her camera, he pulled her to him and laid his head on her shoulder, smiling. He snapped a few, and then handed her phone back. Without missing a beat, she texted them to him. The stars beside his name had been replaced with waves and sun - a representation of the days during which they'd found one another - and he'd been bumped to number one on his FAVORITES list, much to Harry's chagrin.

The photo was one of their best so far - the fountain, spraying illuminated water behind them and the looks of pure, unadulterated joy on both of their faces - and Hermione made a mental note to have this one printed.

"We have another stop," Draco said. "I just wanted to get a photo here, on home soil, before we left."

"Left?" she asked, slipping her phone into her small purse. "Where are we going?"

Draco smiled and took a deep breath. "Do you trust me, Granger?" he asked, stepping into her space. She had to look up to see his eyes, and the look she saw there would always set the butterflies in her stomach off.

"You know I do," she said, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Let's go then." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to hers before lifting her off her feet. She felt the familiar sensation of being twisted and pinched, but Draco's lips on hers and his hands around her helped her notice it less, even though this particular apparition was much longer than previous.

When they landed, Hermione kept her eyes closed, too wrapped up in his kiss to stop just yet. It wasn't until she heard the sound of ocean waves that she pulled away, eyes wide.

Her eyes met his, and she saw something there she hadn't expected - _nervousness_. With a deep breath, he pulled away from her and took her hand. They were on the beach, and the sun was only setting. They'd left England.

"Are we - " her heart thudded.

"I've been taking international apparition classes for a few months. It's a lot harder than you'd think to get licensed," he said with a smirk. "Come on, let's walk."

"Is this the same beach?" she asked, knowing already that it was.

"It is," he said, taking her hand. "Now, come _on._"

She followed him as tears brimmed her eyes. "International apparition licenses take a _lot_ of time to prepare for and be approved for," she said, looking up at him as they walked.

He shrugged. "Not that long."

"It's a six month process, Draco," she breathed, a smile on her face.

"I like to plan ahead." He cleared his throat. "Ah, here we are."

Hermione turned and followed his gaze. Her hand flew to her mouth and her breath caught. They were back on the part of the beach where, nine months (and a few days) ago, Draco had sat her down on a piece of driftwood and they'd had their first kiss. Only, it looked a bit different than that first time.

The driftwood was still there, but now it was surrounded by daisies, laying across the sand and strung over the pieces of wood like garland. And all around, fireflies blinked as the sun sank beneath the waves. They weren't real fireflies, Hermione knew, as they weren't in season and these seemed stationed in one spot, but they were beautiful nonetheless.

"What is all this?" she breathed through her smile.

"Come sit with me," he said, taking her hand and walking her to the same piece of large driftwood they'd sat on all those months ago. Together, they sat, knees pointed toward one another. "Do you remember what I asked you when we were here the first time?"

"You asked me what I thought about you," she said, remembering it well. "And I said that you were kind, funny, and smart. And, of course, _handsome._ I was sure I was going to explode from embarrassment when I admitted that bit."

He laughed and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

"Then," she continued, biting her lip, "you told me that you saw me as selfless, and brilliant, and I believe the other word you used was _terrifying,_" she said, quirking her eyebrow.

"And beautiful," he reminded her, making her blush again. She'd never get used to him saying things like that.

"Yes, yes. That too," she deflected, ducking her head.

"I meant all the things I said." He kissed her knuckles. "I still mean them. But what I didn't say, what I couldn't say yet, was that already, I loved you."

Hermione bit her lip harder. "You kissed me, too," she said, and he smiled softly. "Though, I'm struggling to remember what it was like." She smiled coyly.

Draco scooted closer and slipped his hand into her hair before brushing his lips against hers. He'd intended to kiss her softly, like their first kiss, but her sigh against his lips made him stay there a few more moments, his lips on hers moving in a sensual in a way that had her heart racing.

He pulled back and leaned his forehead on hers. "That one was a bit better than the first, I think."

She smiled and leaned away to see his face. "I don't know," she said, "that first one may always be my favorite."

Draco looked at her for a long moment and took a deep breath. "In the last nine months, has what you thought of me changed at all?" His hand had fallen from her hair and he'd recaptured her hand in his.

Hermione laughed and cocked her head to the side. "Of course it has."

"Tell me how," he said with a small smirk.

"Well, you're still all things I said before - kind, funny, smart - "

"And handsome," he reminded her, and her smirk turned into a full out grin.

"Obviously," she shoved his shoulder gently. "But I've learned that you're also sentimental - case and point - " she gestured to the beach around them and the daisies. "You remember things, little things, that mean a lot to me." She held his hand tightly. "You get _way _too excited about Quidditch, and are far too serious about the daily crossword, and are just an all around passionate man." She bit her lip. "And you go out of your way for your friends, but you don't like it when people know you've done something for them, so you try to hide it. But I always know."

He blushed and ducked his head.

"You're considerate of others, especially me, always trying to figure out what I need before I even realize I need it. You're genuine and true, and the person I love more than anything." By the end, her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard her.

For a long moment after she was done, he just stared at her, then he leaned in and kissed her again, sighing against her lips. "You always know how to steal the show, don't you?" he asked, and she laughed.

"Brightest Witch of Our Age, remember? Now, if we're playing the question game again, I do believe it's your turn."

He smiled and took a deep, steadying breath. "Last time we were here, I told you you were selfless. I told you you were brilliant, funny, and beautiful. And all of those things are still true, without a doubt, but over the last nine months, I've learned so much more about you." He squeezed her fingers, his thumb sweeping over her knuckles rapidly. "I've learned that you categorize your ice cream flavors by more than just happy and sad - and let me just tell you, ice cream specifically for when you're feeling _giggly_ is just the silliest thing I've ever heard of!"

She laughed and ducked her head, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. "When else would a person eat cookie dough in their ice cream?" she asked, and he just smiled.

"I've learned that you forgive people quickly, even when it's hard for you, and that in your amazing selflessness, you actively seek out people who need help, not just letting them come to you. You're patient, so bloody patient that you'll wait for _months_ for your boyfriend to move things forward in your relationship without complaining once."

She blushed a brilliant shade of red and he let go of her hand to hold her cheek.

"You blush at the drop of a hat, too, and it's the loveliest thing." He smiled. "You are the kindest person I know, and also one of the most fierce. You're brave and vulnerable at the same time, and it's - no, _you_ \- are perfect. I love you more than I ever dreamed I'd love anyone."

Tears pooled in Hermione's eyes. "I believe it's safe to say, you've effectively stolen the show back," she choked out with a smile.

Draco grinned and looked over her shoulder with a big nod. Hermione followed his gaze and nearly fell off the driftwood as her friends appeared out of thin air, having been disillusioned before. She laughed with tears in her eyes as Pansy waggled her fingers in a wave from where she stood, clinging to Harry's arm.

When Hermione turned back to Draco, he was still holding her hand, but he was in front of her now, kneeling in the sand, getting his gorgeous suit pants filthy. Her heart rate sped up and her hands started to shake.

Draco cleared his throat as he looked up at her, waves crashing behind him, his eyes wide and clear.

"I'm sorry I've made us wait," he said before wetting his lips. "But I've known, since that night here on the beach, that I wanted you to be mine. Forever. And to do that, I needed to do things properly." He cleared his throat and adjusted his hold on her hand. "I wanted to court you. To woo you. To let you know that my intentions were pure and unchallenged." He cleared his throat again. "You're my best friend, Granger. The person I want to tell everything. And while nine months isn't really enough time for a proper courtship, I don't think I can wait any longer to know if - "

"Yes," she said, heart racing.

He laughed and smiled up at her. "I haven't even asked a question yet," he said with a smirk.

She laughed lightly and her fingers went to her mouth. "Of course, my mistake."

"As I was saying," he said tightening his grip on her hand. "Hermione Granger, my terrifying, fierce, brilliant, beautiful witch, will you be my wife and allow me to be your husband?"

Tears sprang to her eyes as he said the words. _Nine months._ She'd been with Ron four years, and hadn't been ready, yet nine months with Draco was more than enough to know exactly what she wanted_._

"Yes," she breathed, slipping from the driftwood to sit on her knees in the sand in front of him. "Of course I will."

He grinned and pulled her close, burying his face in her neck as he hugged her.

"Wait!" he said, pulling back and digging in his coat pocket. "I forgot," he groaned. From his pocket he pulled a small burgundy box. He opened the lid and Hermione laughed as he pulled out a ring - a thin, silver band that swirled to form an infinity symbol, with a deep blue sapphire in one loop and a brilliant ruby in the other - and slipped it on her finger. It magically shrunk to fit.

"I'm yours," he said, pulling her close again.

"I love you," she said, pressing her lips to his, her friends forgotten until they were suddenly all around them, pulling them up, hugging them both.

"You knew about this?" Hermione asked as Pansy hugged her tight.

Pansy smirked and squeezed her neck. "Of course I knew. Who do you think took the classes with him and side-along apparated everyone here before you all got here?"

"I'm so glad you're my friend," Hermione said as she hugged her ever tighter.

"Let's take a group picture!" Harry said, smiling with his arm around Draco's shoulders. "Like last time."

"Sap," Pansy said with a grin as they all moved away from the driftwood to sit near the sparse tree line. The sat in the same order as their first group photo. Draco had snagged a daisy and tucked it behind her ear before he pulled Hermione close, and she blushed as she leaned into his shoulder. With a flick of her wand, Pansy's phone floated out in front of them. As the shutter clicked, the group smiled, lit by the light of the full moon and fireflies.

"One of just the two of you," Harry said, standing and grabbing the phone and taking one of just the newly engaged pair, both of them smiling like fools.

"I'll get everyone home," Pansy said as they all hugged goodbye. "You have one last stop on your date, I think."

Hermione looked at Draco, who was blushing scarlet. Her heart jumped into her throat as she turned to him. His arms wrapped around her. "Ready?" he asked, his voice breaking. She nodded, and with a twist and some compression, they were gone.

* * *

They popped back into existence in the flower garden where she'd found him after he'd run from her at the airport. She took a deep, sweet breath - the flowers were starting to bloom - and smiled.

"I have one more surprise," he said, slightly breathless.

"We're engaged," she said, biting her lip, and he grinned. "What else could you _possibly _have to surprise me with?"

"Come on," he said, slipping his fingers through hers, feeling the ring he'd agonized over on her finger and smiling broadly. "I bought this land right after the war, then built that little cabin you found me in."

"Pansy told me," she said as they walked through the moonlight plants.

He nodded. "I always wanted to build something _real_, a home, but the thought of living here alone was too depressing." He sighed. "But now - " He stopped and nodded ahead and Hermione's breath caught.

Where the small, one-room cabin had been now stood a house. It wasn't an extravagant house, more like a large cottage. It already had vining plants climbing it and looked like it could be straight out of a fairy tale.

"I had this built after our first fight - after Astoria showed up trying to ruin everything - and I realized just how _much _I needed you." He stepped in front of her. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Granger. I want to laugh, and argue, and have bushy haired, bossy children with you."

Hermione smiled and stepped closer, her heart thundering. "Before we get married, and have children," she said, biting her lip, "we should practice making them. So we're sure not to mess up."

He smiled a lopsided smile and took a shaky breath as he leaned down to kiss her. The press of his lips against hers was soft at first, but quickly became heated - the result of months of pent up emotion and desire.

With his wand, he opened the cottage's door and the low light of candles sprang to life throughout the house. Draco deepened the kiss, then leaned down and lifted her, her legs going around his waist as her periwinkle skirt bunched around her hips. She squeezed him with her thighs and he groaned as he carried her into the home they were going to share.

"The house is beautiful," she gasped as his lips and tongue attacked her neck. He was whisking her through the rooms as he made a beeline for what she knew would be the bedroom.

"You can see it later," he growled against her neck and she groaned and held onto him tighter, feeling him pressed hard against her middle.

"I'm sorry," he said as he nipped at her pulse point, "that I've made us wait so long. I just," he moved to the other side of her neck and began kissing there, "wanted it to be perfect." He bit lightly. "To be _right._"

She was rolling her hips against him as he nudged the bedroom door open. She took in the room - high ceilings, walls the color of soft sunshine, a large, four poster bed with a soft, white duvet. He kissed her again before putting her feet on the floor.

"Is this OK?" he asked as his hands trailed down her body, and she laughed breathlessly.

Feeling confident, Hermione stepped forward and pressed her body against his. She stood up on her tiptoes and let her nose brush his cheek as her lips moved toward his ear. "It's more than OK," she said, her voice husky with need, and he shivered.

"You really are going to be the death of me," he growled before he crashed his lips against hers.

With warm hands, they undressed each other. It wasn't the first time they'd peeled layers of clothing from one another, but it was the first time they both knew where things were headed for certain.

As Draco kissed her collarbone, unhooking her bra, her hands trailed to his waist to slip his boxer briefs down his slender hips. His hands followed, slipping off her panties, and there they were, finally, bare before one another.

Draco's hands ghosted over her hips and up, over her chest to her face. She stepped into him, feeling his hard length against her hip, her fingers trailing patterns along his shoulders.

His kissed her, his head dipping down to meet hers, before he lifted her and lay her back on the bed. She looked up at him, panting, as he kissed down her jaw, her shoulder, her breasts, her stomach, pausing at her hip where his hands pressed her down toward the bed.

He kissed her away the ache between her thighs with gentle lips - something he'd done before - but this time it held the promise of more and she bucked up toward him with pent up need. When he didn't intensify his ministrations, she gently gripped his hair and pulled him up to her, his lips trailing kisses back up her body as he followed her lead.

"I can't wait for you another second," she breathed, holding his face in her hands. She bit her lip as he nodded. She ran her hands back into his hair as he held himself above her with one arm, and the other reached down to guide his length toward her.

As he slowly pressed into her, she stared directly into his eyes. When her own eyes popped wide and threatened to roll back in her head at the feel of him stretching her, she fought to hold his gaze.

"Draco," she breathed, her fingers tightening in his hair. "I love you." She gasped as he entered her fully and she felt him shake against her as his head fell to her shoulders once he was fully inside.

"I wanted this to be - "

"It's perfect," Hermione said, reeling from the feeling of fullness and contentment and connection. She wanted him to move, ached for him to.

"I love you, so much," he said, pressing open mouthed kisses to her shoulder.

"Then show me," she breathed. He growled low in his throat. He leaned back to capture her lips as he started to move against her, the two of them finding a rhythm slow and powerful like ocean waves.

* * *

In the afterglow of their first, earth-shattering time together, Hermione snuggled into Draco's side, boneless and happy. She smiled against his shoulder as his hands lazily dragged up and down her sides.

"That - " she said, kissing his shoulder and sliding up a bit so that they were nose to nose, "was perfect."

Draco hummed in agreement as he leaned over to kiss her lips. "Want to see the house now?" he asked and she grinned devilishly.

"I think it might be better to see it in the daylight," she said as she slowly pulled her body on top of his. She kissed his cheek and down his chin toward his neck.

His hands on her sides became less gentle as she stoked a new fire between them.

"I think we might need to practice some more," Hermione said as she kissed his shoulder, biting lightly. "Just in case."

He laughed darkly and she shivered. With a look she'd never seen on his face before - but one she hoped to see many more times in the future - he gripped her sides and held her steady. Her eyes went wide as he easily began to slip into her again, her body enjoyably sore, her nerve endings overly sensitive as she squirmed.

"I didn't think you'd be ready again so soon," she gasped as he slowly pressed into her.

He smiled up at her and with a single thrust, entered her fully. "You constantly underestimate me, Granger," he said with a smirk as she gasped.

"Maybe I just enjoy you proving me wrong," she breathed as she began to move, his grip on her hips tightening, her head falling back as his eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

They fell asleep a long time later, wrapped together in blankets just before dawn, and didn't wake until almost noon. When Hermione opened her eyes, Draco was lying there, staring at her with the biggest, goofiest grin on his face.

"You drooled on the pillow," he said, and she laughed and wiped the corner of her mouth.

"Come on," she said, sitting up and letting the blankets fall away. "Come show me our home, future husband of mine."

He grinned and hopped up as well. Hermione picked up his button down from the night before and slipped it over her shoulders. He slid his trousers on and kissed her neck, humming in approval of her wardrobe choice.

"Let's start with the library," he said against her neck, and she shrieked so loudly, all he could do was laugh and let her drag him from the room.

Hermione and Draco moved into the cottage that day. Once they were settled, Harry and Pansy came over for dinner, and with nervous jitters, Pansy gave them a scrap book she'd made for them as a housewarming gift. Photos from the beach, from their time together over the last nine months, and from their engagement graced its pages, along with little hand-written anecdotes in the margins. The photos were from her phone, Harry's, and Draco's.

"You scrap book?" Hermione asked, quirking one eyebrow.

Harry laughed and pulled Pansy into his lap. "She _loves_ to craft," he said, and she scowled. "A regular little DIY fanatic, this one."

"Shut it, Potter," Pansy said, crossing her arms as he laughed and hugged her tighter.

"So, you could help plan our wedding?" Hermione asked brightly, and Pansy perked up. Pansy, the sarcastic, sassy, Slytherin girl was _excited _to plan a wedding. The world had officially been turned on it's head. Twice.

"Have you set a date?" she asked, sitting up straight, getting right to business.

Hermione smirked. "We were thinking May 10th."

"Of next year?" Pansy asked, nodding as the wheels in her head turned. "May weddings are lovely."

"Of _this_ year," Draco said with his signature smirk from where he leaned on the counter.

Pansy's jaw dropped. "That's in 20 days."

"Yes, we are both quite capable of doing basic math," Hermione said as she poured fresh coffee for each of them. "Up to the challenge?"

Pansy smiled devilishly. "You know I am."

* * *

They held their wedding in the flower garden that surrounded their home and invited only close friends and family. Of course, this was the wedding between Hermione Granger, war heroine, and Draco Malfoy, reformed Death Eater, so they agreed to let the _Prophet _cover it to satiate the masses and to avoid anyone trying to crash it for photos.

While Ron was not invited, the rest of the Weasleys were, and Hermione was glad to see that all of them came. Absently, she hoped that one day she'd be able to be Ron's friend again, as she'd always imagined him here in some capacity, but she didn't think it would be possible for a very long time.

As the actual reception began, Hermione felt butterflies dancing in her stomach. Draco was at the end of the aisle already, she knew, along with Pansy, who was her maid of honor, and Theo, Draco's best man. Hermione twisted her hands, spinning her beautiful sapphire and ruby ring round and round her finger, and took a calming breath.

"You ready?" Harry asked, offering his hand, ready to walk his friend down the aisle.

Hermione smiled, the butterflies in her gut doing somersaults. "I am."

Together, they walked around the flower wall that separated them from the guests and Hermione caught sight of all the photos Pansy had posted around the garden - pictures of them laughing, smiling, looking at one another shyly, kissing. All memories that lead to where they stood now. Hermione looked at her feet, took a deep breath, and then looked to the front where she felt his eyes on her.

At the end of the aisle, flanked by their friends, stood Draco, looking more handsome than she'd ever imagined. He wore a black suit, and in his lapel he wore a single daisy.

As she walked toward him, he smiled and she felt her own face mirror it, the butterfly nerves vanishing in the face of the warmth that seemed to fill her up. Time seemed to slow down as their eyes locked.

Ten months ago, her life had fallen apart when Ron cheated on her, and Draco had been there to pick up the pieces. And now she was stepping into a new life, one full of love and trust, and she couldn't help but think, as she met Draco at the front of the aisle and slipped her hand into his, that in this moment, she had everything she could ever want.


End file.
